


Eternal Youth is a Scam

by anxious_alien



Series: Ellie's Story [1]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, Damon is all big brotherly, Elijah is such a dad, I aged Kol down, Klaus is still a dick but we love him anyway, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, there's gonna be a lot of teen vampire angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-21 11:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 67,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15557091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxious_alien/pseuds/anxious_alien
Summary: (formerly You've Never Heard of Me) Just an idea I was playing with and wanted to explore. in 1917, Damon saves a young girl from death by turning her into a vampire, in exchange for her family getting rid of their town's supply of vervain. After returning several months later and seeing the conditions she's being kept in, he saves her yet again and helps her learn to survive. When he disappears in 1953, she's on her own again...but not for long. This is the angst-ridden story of a vampire stuck at age 13 for eternity.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8/4/18 I just wanted it known that I changed the main character's name from Maggie (Margaret) to Ellie (Eloise) because Maggie just isn't fitting for me.  
> 12/15/18 HEY so I'm bored and I felt like re-writing this a bit. It was kind of rushed and I felt like I could have done better. So I'm just going through each chapter and editing all the parts that make me cringe now when I read them.
> 
> 12/20/18 I just started the sequel!

 

All I knew was that I was dying. I was pretty far past the point of feeling pain. I drifted in and out of consciousness as my loved ones whispered about how it was “almost time” for days on end. I didn’t want to die. Thirteen is too young to die, but maybe it would have been preferable to the existence I live now. I don't even know what I was dying from. It was so long ago and I was so far gone by the time my family found help, I barely remember the events that led to my…affliction today.

 

I couldn't speak, I was too weak to even open my eyes or raise a finger. They'd laid me on a cot in sitting room of their small farmhouse and were resorting to praying over me day and night. I do remember the praying, and the priest coming in to say words over my wilting body. “It’s in god’s hands now” he whispered to my mother, and she sobbed. I wanted to comfort her. Once in a while she would clutch my hand and I would squeeze back, ever so slightly.

 

It was all looking pretty bleak, and I’d pretty much accepted my fate. But then one night, things changed.  It seemed there may be a cure after all, from what I gathered. That was the night I heard the whispers, the frightened ones of my mother who called my father crazy and told him he was playing with the natural order of things…that we shouldn’t let that _demon_ in our homes, let alone anywhere near her child. My father telling her it was the only way if they wanted me to live. He knew someone, someone who could help. Was it a doctor?

 

The next night, I awoke to the voices of my parents once more, and a new voice belonging to a young man.

"You're sure this will work?" My mother's voice, full of apprehension and fear.

"Yes. She'll need human blood when she wakes. But after, any animal blood will do. She won't be as strong on animal blood." The stranger replied. _Blood?_ This sounded like some kind of sorcery. What exactly would I be needing blood—of any kind—for anyway?

"But…she'll still be our daughter? Our Ellie?" My mother asked. Her tone was more fearful now.

"Well…more or less. You know the consequences. Now, before I do this….where is the vervain?" He sounded impatient, like this was all business to him.

"We destroyed nearly all of it. I've told the mayor our crop died. There will be no more for them. I just…want to keep some of it just in case." I wondered what vervain was. I was too weak to speak or open my eyes. I’d never heard my father mention the word before.

"In case your precious child gets out of hand later?" the stranger said venomously. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

 

"It's just a precaution." My father stammered. He sounded…guilty? Why?

I heard footsteps grow closer to me and could feel the presence next to me. "Hello Eloise." The man said softly, almost apologetically, "This won't take long."

 

I felt my mouth being opened and an arm pressed against it. Warm liquid began to drip into my mouth. This was…blood? I wanted to fight back. I wanted to scream but I couldn't move. I was forced to swallow it down or choke.

 

In a barely audible whisper beside my ear, he said to me, “You’ll understand. That vervain is nothing but a thorn in my side lately. I couldn’t resist a perfect opportunity to get rid of some of it.”

 

Then, louder, he said, “One last thing, and we’re all done here. It’s funny though, the blood alone would have healed her just fine. But if you really insist…” and then I heard my father yell out for him to stop, before the stranger grabbed my head and turned it swiftly to one side, way too far. Then there was nothing.

 

It felt like a second or two. But it must have been more. I woke up in the cellar. Only it was far different than I remembered. The door had been replaced by metal bars and I realized a heavy chain was now attached to my ankle. I reached out for the bars and realized my father was standing outside.

"Ellie?" I heard his voice, full of sorrow. “Drink this. You’ll die if you don’t. At least this way…you can continue to exist.”

He dropped a vial of dark liquid through the bars. I opened it and gulped it down without question. I was so thirsty. I knew it was blood as soon as I took a drink but…it was amazing. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever tasted. My head felt clearer and my vision grew sharper. I reached out again, grasping the bars and then drew my hand back immediately. A searing pain shot through me. I looked at his retreating silhouette in the darkness. He was leaving me here, alone. What had I done? Why would they go to the trouble to cure me just to lock me up like an animal?

Hesitantly, I called out. "Is…is there more?" I had to have more. The hunger was unbearable. The small vial hadn’t been nearly enough.

But I only heard his footsteps retreat. I cried out for him several times before finally giving up and retreating to a corner in the cellar. I held out hope that this was only temporary. Maybe it was all part of the healing process of the cure the strange man had given me. Surely they didn’t mean to keep me here forever.

Days, and weeks, and maybe even months began to pass. I wasn't sure at the time. They never talked to me anymore, which was confusing and upsetting. Hadn't they done this to keep me alive? What was the point? They dropped injured animals into my prison a few times a month. Never often enough for me to gain any strength. It was always rats, squirrels, maybe a rabbit. I was always starving and weak. I knew what I was now.  The bloodlust and the way the sunlight that sometimes made its way through the bars scorched my skin were all the proof I needed. I’d heard the stories and legends as a child, and always dismissed them as tales meant to scare me, so that I wouldn’t stay out too late at night or talk to strangers. I was never going to escape this tortured existence. They knew they had made a mistake, and now they couldn’t even face it. Not even to just put me out of my misery.

I began to hate them. I stopped attempting to talk to me when they came by. I stopped trying to catch glimpses of their faces. I snarled and sometimes threw myself towards the bars when they came near. If they wanted to treat me like an animal, I’d act like one. I spent my days trying to figure out a way out of this prison so I could kill them all. They would pay for doing this to me. They would pay for subjecting me this eternal hell instead of just letting me die in peace.

One night, there was a break in the monotony.  I saw him looking through the bars one night, just watching me. I didn't feel like talking or asking who he was, I was too tired.  I hoped it was a villager, who would go and tell authorities about me. They'd have me killed and finally I would be free from this life. He watched for a while, and eventually left.

Two nights later, he returned. He kept coming back for 10 nights, just looking in at me for a few minutes. I’d watch him too, wondering what night would finally be the end. I finally got sick of it.

"I can see you. I know you know what I am. What do you want?" I asked weakly, and then softly, “Kill me if you want. I won’t fight back. I don’t even think I could.” I laughed humorlessly.

He didn't say anything for several minutes until finally, he stood up and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

He began to walk away. But I knew that voice. I knew it was him. The stranger who had made me this way. If anyone could help, he could. Surely he could. I’d sometimes dream of him coming back to save me.

"No! Wait! Please. Don't leave me. Don't leave me." I begged, tears forming.  I strained to see through the bars, to see if he was still close. I thought for sure he was gone until I hear his voice again in the night. I finally felt hope again for the first time in weeks. I actually wanted to live.

“I’m coming back Ellie. I’m going to get you out of there. I swear.” And then I knew for sure he was gone as a gust of wind blew outside and then the night air was silent once more. But I had something to live for now.


	2. Chapter Two

The very next night, I heard screaming from inside the house. Horrible, blood-curdling screams, filled the air and I thought for sure this was the end for me. The rest of the town found out, they were going to kill my family for their sins and then come to kill me, the demon.  I waited. I felt nothing as I heard the screams come to an end. Those people were strangers to me. Maybe I was an evil monster, but at least I had a decent excuse. I hadn’t exactly consented to this fate. They made the choice all on their own.

 

The screaming stopped, and the night was deathly silent. I was expecting a mob of people to come crashing into the cellar, armed with stakes and fire and whatever else would kill a monster like me, but the minutes dragged on and there was no mob. Now I was starting to fear they would just leave me here to starve. Could I even die from starvation? _Is a swift death really too much to ask for?_

 

I heard movement outside and I strained to see. There was no angry mob. Instead, there was only one person outside the bars. I heard the click of a lock, and the metal door swung open. I heard the sizzle of something burning and a pained grunt.

 

“Damn vervain.” He whispered. He was back. Relief washed over me. “I should have made them burn _all_ of it. Maybe things would have turned out a bit differently.”

 

“You came back.” I said weakly. I didn’t think he’d be back. The momentary hope I felt the previous night was quickly overcome by that same feeling of nothingness. I had started to believe I’d imagined the whole thing, that maybe I’d finally lost my mind.

 

He climbed down into the cellar and I watched blankly as he studied the cuff on my ankle. He pulled at the chain and it snapped away easily, leaving only the metal encircling my ankle.

 

“I’ve been pulling at that for months.” I said bitterly, but I was grudgingly in awe of the strength he possessed. Maybe I could do that too, if I wasn’t half-starved.

 

“You’ve been living on rats and squirrels laced with vervain for months.” He said it with a laugh, and I might have been insulted if I’d had the energy to be. Instead  I gave a half-hearted shrug.

“They weren’t all laced with vervain. About half of them were.” I said. The difference was always obvious. The ones with vervain burned on the way down, but I couldn’t stop myself from drinking. I was happy to get anything at all. Larger animals like rabbits tended to have the vervain in them. I’d learned to dread those and prefer the days when a rat was tossed my way instead.

 

“I didn’t find the key to this cuff, but it looks pretty standard. We’ll get something to remove it later. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. With his help, I climbed out of the cellar and felt the fresh air for the first time in months. I closed my eyes, and a wave of emotion hit me all at once. I felt grateful, relieved, tired, scared, and a whole host of other things I couldn’t even identify. Overwhelmed and lightheaded, I started to take a step forward and promptly began to stumble. I felt his hands instantly on my shoulders, steadying me. “Easy there. Focus on standing upright first, and then we’ll get this walking thing down.”

“Who are you?” I asked, in awe of this newfound savior. Apparently in my delirious state, any friendly face was something amazing. “Where are we supposed to go now?”

“My name is Damon Salvatore. And we can go anywhere we want. Away from this godforsaken hellhole, for sure.” He said, and gave me a comforting smile. I tried to smile back, but then I remembered all the screaming.

“What happened to my family?” I was confident I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it out loud.

“I killed them.” He said without a hint of remorse. “Sorry, I wanted to leave them for you to deal with. But I was afraid you weren’t strong enough, and well, I was very upset with them."

I think I should have felt sad. I felt something like sadness, but it was barely there. For so long, I had wanted to kill them, and now they were dead. A part of me was angry that they hadn’t died by my hand. But I wondered if I truly would have brought myself to do it if I had the chance. I remembered my mother lovingly caring for me when I sick, but I also remembered how I never saw her face while I was trapped in the cell. I think I’d been dead to her the moment I became a vampire.

Damon killed them for me.  He made them pay for what they did, and now I could finally be free. Having endured months of solitude and no kindness whatsoever, my mind couldn’t help but idolize this man.

“Thank you.” I said quietly, “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Repay me by not making me regret this decision. I’m going to show you how to feed, without slaughtering a whole town—like my brother—and I’m going to show you how not to get yourself killed. You deserve a fighting chance.” He said sincerely, “I’m going to make sure you get that now. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

I nodded. I couldn’t let him down.

Damon led me away from my town, and we headed for the next one. Running at the speeds he was accustomed, or even walking at a human pace, was too much for me. He picked me up and carrying me, running at lightning speed. I closed my eyes and felt the wind rushing past me. Soon, I’d be able to do this too. The thought thrilled me. I wondered what else I would be able to do as a vampire.  I wondered if I would age though. I had an inkling of what the answer probably was, so I didn’t dare ask. I didn’t want to face that reality just yet.

We stopped in a larger city. We were in a much wealthier area, from the looks of it. I’d only seen illustrations of cities like this in magazines. Even at this time of night, there was activity on the street. We had stopped in a darker corner of the street. Damon let me off his back and looked around.

“Wait there, in that alley. I’ll bring dinner to you.” He said quietly. I nodded and hurried to follow his instructions. I felt nervous, wondering exactly how he was going to “bring dinner to me.” Was he going to kill someone? Was I about to kill someone? I wasn’t sure I had the stomach for that kind of thing, even as my hunger grew. A few minutes later, he returned with a well-dressed gentleman wearing a blank expression.

“I’ve compelled him to stand here quietly and let you feed. It’d be best if you don’t kill him, I don’t particularly want to clean up a mess.” Damon explained, gesturing towards the man.

“Compelled?” I questioned, though my thirst was suddenly reawakened and I was already inching closer to the human man.

“It’s a handy way of making humans do what you want. You can feed on them, without a struggle and a big fuss, and make them instantly forget it.” He told me, “Killing everyone you feed from is not a wise idea if you have intention of trying to stay in one place for a while. We have to keep a low profile.”

I grabbed the man’s arm and bit into the vein, drinking greedily. Oh, this was so much better than rats and squirrels. It was even better than that very first vial of blood; so warm and satisfying. I got lost in the feeling. Apparently I got a little too lost.

“Okay. Ellie, that’s enough. Ellie.” A pause, and then I was roughly pulled away. “Eloise, stop.” I actually snarled and fought against him. The human had no idea what was transpiring around him.

“N-no, I need more!” I lunged again but Damon grabbed me and held me back, “Please, I’m starving.”

“You’ll kill him. We can’t risk it. We’re already limited as to how long we can stay anywhere, especially you. We’ll find someone else soon.” I thought about what he said, and realized it confirmed my earlier suspicions about aging. Of course I couldn’t stay anywhere too long. People would begin to ask questions.

Damon then bit into his arm and fed his own blood to the man. The wounds began to heal. He grabbed the man’s face and locked eyes with him.

“You won’t remember any of this. You took a wrong turn but we pleasantly showed you the way. Head on home now.” The man muttered a thank you and, still in a daze, wandered away from the alley. I wiped the blood from my mouth. I felt amazing. Everything was clearer now, and I felt like I could run forever.

 

“I want more.” I insisted, “I want to be stronger.”

“You’ll get more. You get to compel the next one yourself. We just need to work on…self-control a bit more. But you didn’t rip his head off, so you’re already doing better than other people I know.” Damon said encouragingly. He seemed pleased with his teaching abilities.

I was still reeling from the burst of energy I got. “I want this feeling to last forever.”

“Oh, don’t worry. This is only the beginning, my young protégé.” He said with a self-satisfied smirk. I smiled back hopefully. I had picked up on the fact my success was important to him, but I wouldn’t fully understand why until much later.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/15/18 rewritten


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised 12/16/18

Damon

Maryland

I couldn’t tell her this, of course, but I’d genuinely considered just putting a stake through her that first night I saw her in the cellar. It had been a mistake to turn her, one that plagued me for months as I tried to put it behind me and continue about life as usual. I had never wanted to become a vampire, and I still cursed my brother for making that choice for me. Now I’d gone and sentenced someone else to the same fate.

A child, no less. Stefan would never let me live it down. If Stefan was ever in a right mind to look down on me again.

She would have an even harder time controlling herself, she would never be able to stay any place as long as most of us did, she’d have a heck of a time finding anyone to relate to. The list went on and on.

Stupid mistake.

So why didn’t I just end it? Why did I go against every instinct and decide to become a mentor in the ways of Vampirism 101?

The answer was pretty clear, and I didn’t even need a therapy session to figure it out. I’d failed to save Stefan from his ripper habits. But Stefan was an anomaly. I could prove that if I could teach this girl how to survive and control herself.

It was a selfish reason, but the alternative was to just kill her right then and there. So, well, I figured she’d understand when I eventually told her the full story. And maybe it’d be nice to have someone around who’d actually give a damn about me.

Ellie

Maryland

 “What do we do now?” I asked, after I’d bitten and fed from two more people. It felt so strange at first, and quickly became as natural as taking a drink of water. As long as I didn’t kill them, it surely couldn’t be wrong.

“We find a place to stay, and also find proper clothes for you.” He said. I looked down at my ragged dress. Every so often, my father would open the metal grate just enough to slide in a bucket of water and a rag, and even less often there would be a clean dress to put on. This one had seen better days for sure.

"I do look...a bit feral." I admitted, wincing at my appearance in a storefront window as we walked.

"The blood on your chin definitely doesn't help." Damon commented. Embarrassed, I quickly wiped it off with my sleeve. He noticed and added gently, "I'm only kidding, don't worry."

He led me down the street to a small hotel, and we checked in at the front desk. The clerk looked at me first with disdain, frowning at my appearance. I stepped behind Damon. Nevertheless, Damon seemed to have used that strange hypnotic magic to make the clerk give us a room, and even sent him out in the middle of the night to find me fresh clothes. In no time, I had washed, changed, and no longer felt the constant nagging hunger. I sort of felt like a normal girl again, yet so much stronger and faster. After ensuring all the curtains were closed, I was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in months.

The following night, he took me back out to try finding and feeding on a human by myself.

“You just have to trap their gaze with yours, and tell them what you want them to do, believe, and feel. You’ll get it. It’s incredibly easy.” Damon promised before sending me down the street on my own. It was getting late, but there were still humans here and there, some lurking in the shadows. I saw a young man leaning against a light post and approached him. I began to use the “script” Damon had taught me.

“Sir? Sorry, I think I’ve taken a wrong turn. Could you show me how to get to Gray Street?” I asked, appearing every bit the innocent, hopelessly lost little girl. He smiled, and I felt a flash of guilt.

“Of course, it’s-”

“Wait, be quiet and don’t move.” I said, when I managed to catch his eye. He stopped mid-sentence and stared in confusion. I had him follow me to a darker part of the street, and told him I was going to bite him, but it wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t even flinch when I bit into his arm. I couldn’t believe how easy this was. How many humans have been fed upon and simply never recalled? When I was satisfied, but before he began to experience any serious blood loss, I released him. “Thank you so much for your time. Forget this happened, and go home.”

He blinked several times and abruptly started down the street. My mouth hung open in surprise. I wiped a trace of blood from my mouth.

Damon appeared next to me. “See? Simple as that. Have fun with it, change up the methods a bit. Just try not to leave too many bodies behind.”

“Have _fun_ with it?” I asked warily. It would be wrong, wouldn’t it? To enjoy preying on unsuspecting humans?

“You gotta find the enjoyment where you can. That whole tortured soul, self-hating thing gets old very fast.”

1922

Months passed, even years, and we travelled. We never stayed in the same place for more than a few weeks or so. Being found out was not something we felt like dealing with, and Damon was forever trying to distance himself from his younger brother. I often asked about Stefan but he refused to say much on the subject, other than the fact that his brother was a “ripper” and not someone we wanted to be associated with.

“He has no self-control. I’ve tried to help him. But I can’t be around him while he’s ripping humans apart everywhere he goes. I caught wind a few years ago he slaughtered a whole village in California.” Damon had explained to me, after I pestered him about it for months on end. I’d hoped to meet him. I didn’t like to believe that someone could be beyond saving.

“Maybe someday when he gets control-”

 

Damon cut me off, and I could tell he was getting irritated with the conversation, “Don’t hold your breath. He’s a lost cause. And hey, at least I’m not a total failure at teaching control. You’ve turned out alright.” I could tell the conversation was over. He always switched to talking about me when I brought up Stefan. I didn’t bring it up again for two years.

I’m not exactly a star student. I’ve accidentally killed a couple of times, and the guilt was crushing at first but Damon assured me that this was a mistake many vampires make in the beginning. The laborious task of getting rid of the bodies was motivation enough to try avoiding getting so careless again. Things would get easier. Damon had a daylight ring, which I learned would allow him to walk about in the sun without burning. I envied him, but he insisted I should wait until I felt more in control of my hunger. It still gave me pangs of jealousy to see him leave during the day to do as he pleased while I waited in a hotel room with the curtains drawn.

Still, he was my family now. I even used Salvatore as my last name while we travelled, and he would refer to me as his younger sister. It was silly but I liked to pretend it was true.

We were out one night at a busy tavern, when he mentioned travelling again. The bonus of being a vampire, despite looking very much like a thirteen year old girl, was being able to compel my way into any place I wanted to go. Damon even pretended not to notice when I occasionally ordered drinks for myself.

“I figure we should head for Chicago next. I hear the nightlife there is something to see as well.” He said to me, when we’d both fed and found a table a little farther away from the noise of the bar.

The “Roaring Twenties” were well underway by then. We’d spent a considerable amount of time Boston by now, and it was time to move anyway. Damon knew I always longed for something bigger, better, more exciting.

“Yes! When can we go?” I grinned excitedly.

“Tonight, if you want. I’m bored with this place.”

This was typical for us. We packed up a few hours later and I remarked we may need to wait until the next night, because the sun would rise in a few short hours.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Don’t worry…about the sun?” I clarified, perplexed. Instead of answering, he rummaged in his bag for something, and produced a small drawstring pouch. He tossed it to me.

“Don’t make me regret this.” He warned. I hurriedly opened it up and a small silver ring, with a lapis lazuli stone in the center, dropped out.

“Is this real?” I whispered, staring in awe. I had a daylight ring…my very own daylight ring. I slipped it on my ring finger, and it fit perfectly.

“You’ve proven yourself. You earned it.” And he added, “Try to be responsible.”

I nodded eagerly. I suddenly couldn’t wait for daylight.

We didn’t leave until the sun rose. I insisted that I wanted to walk to the train station in the light. I stepped outside and felt the sun on my face for the first time in almost four years. I couldn’t get enough of people-watching, as everyone bustled through the city on their morning commute. It was not the glamor and mystery of the nightlife, but it was exciting in its own way. Seeing all of these people just living, working, existing in the light gave me a weird sense of peace. I could be a part of the normal world, at least in a small way, again.

 

 “This is amazing.” We’d stepped off a train, hours upon hours later, in the middle of Chicago.

 

“You’ve said that. A few times now.” Damon said, feigning annoyance.

 

“You’ve _never_ been without a daylight ring. You don’t understand how amazing this is. This is the best. I can do so much more now.” I practically skipped down the street. Damon followed behind, preoccupied with searching the faces in the crowds of people.

I finally grew tired of it and turned to face him.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s find a place to stay.” He pressed on ahead of me, and I had no choice but to hurry and keep up. He refused to answer any further questions until we reached a hotel he deemed suitable.

He walked up to the front desk and captured the clerk’s eyes with compulsion.

“You’re going to give my dear sister and I the best room you have available. Free of charge. We’re honored guests, or something.” He said in a half-bored tone. He gave some version of this spiel everywhere we went, though sometimes we really did pay. The clerk nodded happily and directed us to our room.

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked, as soon as we were settled.

“We’re not going to be here long. I’m going to…check in on someone.”

 

“Who?”

He sighed, and dropped into a plush chair by the window. We had a gorgeous view of the city, but I hardly cared right now.

“I want to check on Stefan. I got wind that he’s here somewhere. I’m going to discreetly check on him, without his knowledge, and move on.” So he had other motives for bringing me here after all.

“So _that’s_ why we’re here?” I scoffed, “Why? You can’t stand him.”

“He’s family, at the end of the day. I’m feeling sentimental.” He paused, staring out the window in thought, “Maybe you could meet him, if he’s…halfway sane. You’re family and all.”

He said this so casually, like he was discussing the weather, and I turned away to hide the smile on my face. Damon wasn’t the touchy-feely type. But I was fairly sure he knew how much that off-hand remark meant to me.

This quick change in his attitude about Stefan was exciting to me as well. I’d always been curious.

We searched the city for days. Days turned into weeks. Damon had given me a photo of who I was supposed to be looking for and we split up at one point. He warned me not to speak to Stefan at all and just come right back and report his location. I rolled my eyes at that but agreed.

As the day stretched into night, I found myself in a speakeasy called Gloria’s. Bored of my search a desperate for a break, I sat at the bar and listened to the gorgeous woman singing jazz. I was beginning to think this was a lost cause.

“Hey, pretty thing, bit late to be out all by yourself, isn’t it?” a greasy-looking man with alcohol on his breath said on my left. I glared at him, summoning the compulsion.

“You’re going to go away before I rip your head off your shoulders.”  I said icily. He nodded, completely startled, and moved away from me. This happened from time to time. I contemplated ripping his head off his shoulders anyway, as punishment for being a creep. But I didn’t want to jeopardize our chances of finding Stefan. And really, I couldn’t slaughter _every_ gross guy I came across. There simply wasn’t time.

 I watched him leave, and then audibly gasped when I saw the table of people he walked past.

Stefan Salvatore was right there, laughing with a beautiful blonde woman, while a blonde man with piercing eyes watched them with slight annoyance. He was trying not to show it though, I could tell. A man walked up to the table, looking furious. He exchanged words with the group, and I watched as they called a dancer over and Stefan casually slits her wrists and drains her blood into a cup. I watch in disgust as he hands the cup to the angry man, clearly compelling him to drink. He’s laughing, along with the woman and even the man who looked mildly annoyed just a few minutes earlier.

 

I stood up and left, entirely disgusted and let down by the sight. Stefan Salvatore was a monster, clearly. He just used humans for his own personal enjoyment. Damon was right, and I felt it would hurt him to know just how right he was. I needed to protect him.

Damon

Chicaco, IL

I had, admittedly, taken a brief hiatus from my search and instead spent a portion of my evening in one of the many bars throughout Chicago. The company was…enticing.

“I can’t believe you’re only here for a few nights, Mr. Salvatore.” The pretty young woman said as she downed yet another martini. “You simply must extend your stay. Can’t I convince you?”

I smiled, good-naturedly, “I’m afraid not, but don’t look so disappointed, sweetheart. We’ve got tonight.”  I’d spent a considerable amount of time capturing her interest with tales of my travels, only slightly embellished, and lamenting that I hadn’t found _the right woman_ to settle down with. Alas, life could get lonely for a bachelor traveling the world.

We spent another hour or  so together, in which time she asked me if we should go to “her place or mine.” Of course, I decided her place would be the better option.

After a few hours of indulging in my desires, I finally lay next to the woman, blood covering the sheets. I looked over at her and prodded her with my foot. “Jane? Uh, Janet? Janice? Something like that?” I frowned when she did not stir, and realized with a growing sense of dread that she would not be waking up. I’d taken things too far. I sighed, and pulled the bedsheet over her. It happens from time to time. Nobody’s perfect, after all. I probably should have learned her name though. I headed back home under the night sky. We’d definitely need to be leaving soon.

Ellie

Chicago, IL

When Damon finally returned to our hotel room, in the early hours of the morning, I was lying on my bed staring disdainfully at the ceiling.

“Well, this is dramatic.” He remarked, removing his jacket.

“Can we leave? I don’t think he’s here, Damon. Maybe we should try somewhere else.” The lie falls out before I can stop it. I needed to protect him from this somehow. We could try again with Stefan in a decade or two. And maybe, some jealous part of me was worried the truth would make him pursue Stefan in an attempt to save him and leave me behind.

“You’re tired of Chicago already?” he didn’t seem at all bothered by the idea of leaving.

I wasn’t, not at all. The city was full of new adventures, but I could make that sacrifice.

“Yes. You keep saying you’re going to take me to the ocean again soon. Can’t we do that? I’d love to visit in the daylight.” I pleaded.

It didn’t take a lot for him to agree, and I held back a sigh of relief. I hoped I was making the right decision. Should I be making the choice about Stefan for Damon? I mean, I had to. It would be too painful for him, and he’d never talk to me about it. He’d insist on handling it on his own.

We left Stefan behind, hopefully for good. I convinced myself this was how I could repay Damon for rescuing me.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised 12/16/18

Ellie

New Orleans

June 1953

 “No seriously, tell me what he said. You have to tell me.” I whined, as we climbed up the stairs to our apartment. We were in New Orleans this time around, one of my favorites.

“Nah, who cares what some dumb teenage boy thinks.” Damon said nonchalantly. I groaned.

“I care. I saw him talking to you, and pointing at me. And looking at _me_. What did he say?” I was fairly certain Damon had threatened him with bodily harm, because he’d left the party almost immediately. But I wanted to know what he said to _warrant_ threats of bodily harm. I was owed at least that much.

“Maybe he said you need to stop bothering your poor brother with such frivolous matters.” Damon said over his shoulder as he unlocked the door. “Maybe he thinks you should listen to Damon, who’s cool and smart and doesn’t have time to deal with you going boy-crazy all the sudden. Maybe that’s what he said.”

I rolled my eyes as we entered the apartment, which we had actually stayed in for two months. It was so easy to blend in here. The city was bursting with the strange and mysterious, the air itself seemed to buzz with magical potential. Life felt normal.

We’d been to a party, there were so many parties in this city, and for once I was able to socialize with kids my own age. Boys my own age.

“Did he think I was pretty? At least tell me that. I just bought this outfit.” I spun around and watched the full skirt swing around me.

“No you didn’t, you put it on and walked out of the store with it. Fine, he said you were gorgeous. He also asked if he could ask you on a date and I politely told him I’d tear all of his appendages—all of them—off of his torso if he did such a thing.”

“Gorgeous?” I spun around, grinning. “He said that?” I’d never thought of myself as gorgeous before.  Damon looked positively done with this conversation.

“Yes, now can we talk about something else? Anything else at all?”

“Yeah, we have mail.” I said, noticing an envelope in the mail slot by our door. How strange. Who would even send us mail? “It’s addressed to you, Damon.”

He made a face, and snatched the envelope. I watched as he ripped it open and skimmed over it with growing annoyance.

“A telegram. These people always find me.” He muttered, tossing the papers on the table.

“Who?” I asked, peering at the letter.

He glanced up at me, and then the message. “Relatives. Well, my great-nephew, Joseph. However many ‘greats’ there are. He…invited Stefan and I back home to catch up.”

I didn’t like the idea, not at all. It had been 30 years since I’d seen Stefan in Chicago but I still remembered him vividly. I’d somehow managed to keep that secret all this time. I wasn’t about to tell him now, but when his eyes met mine I knew we were both apprehensive.

“I haven’t heard of him committing any mass murders in quite some time.” Damon said reluctantly. The fact provided very little comfort.

“That’s…true.” I agreed, biting my lip. “But you’re going to take me with you, right?”

The silence that fell gave me my answer. Of course not.

“It’s been so long. The last time I saw him was just before we met. Let me see what this is about first. Then I’ll come back and get you.” I could tell he meant it, but I still felt hurt.

“Well, where are you going?”

“I can’t answer that just yet either. Because I know you, and you’ll try to follow me. Trust me on this. It’ll be fine.” He ripped up the paper, destroying any information I could hope to gain from it.

I scowled.  “You wanted me to meet him before.” I reminded him, “Why is this different?”

“I want to feel it out first. Make sure he isn’t going to rip our nephew’s body in half or anything wild. That’s not something a young lady should witness.” He said, trying to lighten the mood. I didn’t find it amusing.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I shoved him, though he didn’t budge.  He met my eyes and the teasing smile was replaced with a somber expression. He knew I was worried.

“I’ll come back, Ellie. I always do. You know that.” He said softly. I dropped my eyes and nodded. Damon had never let me down before.

The next few days were full of both our nervous energy. I didn’t know how would handle him being gone, though he promised it would be no more than week. He tried his best to make lighthearted jokes and keep up our usual routine but the date of his departure loomed closer. I all but shut myself up in my room unless I needed to feed. He took notice and made a habit of leaving books, new jewelry, clothes, and other trinkets at my door. I didn’t want to give in to the bribes…but I certainly didn’t turn them down.

Finally, it was time for him to leave. Standing by the door, I hugged him fiercely.

“Be safe.” I told him.

“You too. Don’t burn down New Orleans.”

“I promise not to burn down the city, if you promise to come back.” I said in a serious tone. We shook on it. He left. For the first time in years, I was truly alone.

Damon

St. Augustine

I groaned, after being pumped full of vervain and tossed onto solid floor. I heard the clank of bars close and vaguely registered someone else close by, as the doctor’s footsteps retreated.

“Welcome. Dr. Whitmore never gets tired of watching us vampire heal, but he gives us one glass of blood per day, just enough to keep us alive. Pick yourself up, soldier. The name’s Enzo.”

“Wh-what? What is this?” I sat up, eyes darting around. No. No, no, no, no. I needed to get out of here. She’s alone.

“Welcome to hell, or at least, our personal hell. Dr. Whitmore keeps us locked up here, for his experiments. Guess you’re his next victim. Dreadfully sorry about that, but at least it takes some of the focus off me.”

“There’s…argh…there’s got to be a way out.” I stood up, grinding my teeth in pain. “My sister…I have to get back to her.”

“Well, good luck with that. Let me know if you get anywhere. Does she know where you went?”

“No…I refused to tell her. I didn’t want her following me.” She had no idea. A week from now she would be expecting me to come through the door and I wouldn’t. I didn’t know if I ever would now.

“Thank god for that.” Enzo said, “At least you can trust she won’t end up here, yeah?” He was right; that was really the only saving grace of this situation. I could never forgive myself if she ended up locked away because of me…again.

Yeah. Thank god for that. Because day in and day out, life became hell. Confined, constantly starving, and experimented on, with no end in sight. I promised myself I would return. I thought of that hopeless, starved girl I saw in the cellar and the promise I made to her all those years ago. _I’m coming back, Ellie._ It would just take a little longer this time.

 

Ellie

New Orleans

Seven whole days went by. Then eight, and nine, and fourteen. I didn’t panic at first. After all, we’re immortal. Being on time was not high on our priority list. I figured I would just give him absolute hell when he did return. We would argue, and he would swear never again to leave me behind and things would go right back to normal.

An entire month passed and I’d still heard nothing. Maybe he was dead. Or maybe he had just ditched me. After all, he was going to meet his brother. That was his real family, not me.

 _No, don’t think like that,_ I told myself. _He’s given me no reason to feel that way._ But still, the feeling persisted. I tried to go about life as usual, vowing to stay put for just a while longer. I couldn’t just pick up and leave, because what if he came back? How would he find me?

Being alone was not that difficult. Months were starting to pass, and I was reluctant to move. I still held on to that little shred of hope that he might return. He promised he would. I talked to human kids sometimes, pretending I fit in with them. I told them I was homeschooled, because my brother and I travel so much, so they wouldn’t have seen me around. I went to the library and spent several hours a day trying to teach myself all of the subjects I missed out on in my human life. When I got bored with that, I started teaching myself French. When I got bored with that, I started working my way through anything that could capture my interest. There was suddenly too much time.

“You come here every day.” A voice beside me said. I looked up, vaguely startled. I’d been curled up in a chair, hoping to go unnoticed, reading H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine and had totally lost track of the world around me.

There was a boy, roughly my age. Well, my human age. With sandy hair and freckles and the brightest green eyes.

“Um.” I struggled for words, not really used to making conversation with just anyone, “I do. I like it.”

“I don’t see you at school though. Do you live around here?”

“I’m home schooled. My brother and I travel a lot.” The rehearsed lie came automatically, as if my _brother_ hadn’t been missing for months now. “If you know I come here every day, you’re probably here a lot too.” I hadn’t meant it to sound so accusatory, but he had no business questioning me.

“My mom works here. So I come here after school, and you’re always here before me. I’m Travis, by the way.” He said, blushing slightly.

It occurred to me that he had noticed me for quite some time then, and that was kind of exciting.

“I…um. I have too much time on my hands.” What kind of dumb response was that? He probably thought I was boring now.

“Oh, me too. I hang out here until mom gets off work. She doesn’t want me to be home alone.” He groaned, “Hey, my school is having this, um, dance on Friday. I bet they’d let me bring you, even though you don’t go there. You should come.” He shifted back and forth on his feet, barely meeting my eyes.

I smiled, and genuinely let myself entertain the thought of going to a school dance with a cute boy. But then I thought about what he said. He’d noticed me; he’d seen me every day. That meant other people had, or would soon. And I could have no real future with this boy, or anyone. Not if I didn’t want to subject them to the life I led. There was no future in this.

“I’m terribly sorry. My brother and I are actually leaving tomorrow. Thank you though.” I said with an apologetic smile.

He nodded, with a defeated look. Just then, a woman’s voice called out his name.

 

“Ugh, that’s my mom. It was nice meeting you anyway. Let me know if you’re ever back in town.”

I agreed, knowing he’d be years older if I ever came back. After he left, I put my book away and left the library. I had waited over a year now. I couldn’t stay in this city forever, someone would notice. I didn’t even want other vampires to run into me. I didn’t need the questions. I made up my mind to leave the next morning. The question was, where would I go?

Damon

St. Augustine

In between the unbearable torture and painful healing process, there was mostly just boredom. I was reluctant to talk about Ellie at first, but I’d exhausted all other details of my life. Finally, I told Enzo the entire story of how I came to know Ellie.

“I’ve never told her, but when I found her in that cellar, I considered just killing her right then.” I said softly, and looked around my cell. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

“So you think you made the right decision?” Enzo asked, although he spoke through gritted teeth. He was covered in still-healing wounds from being shot full of wooden bullets. I didn’t think there was a scientific purpose there. I believed sometimes Whitmore was just a sadist. “I mean, shit, I hated being 13. I’d lose it if I had to stay that way forever.”

“Nah. It was a bad idea. Even after I rescued her, I would consider just killing her in her sleep. I knew she was lonely. She has no one she can relate to, at least not in the long-term.” I sighed, “I’m selfish, though. I haven’t seen Stefan in decades. I needed some form of family to keep my sanity, and keep me from terrorizing humanity.” Saying it out loud, I realized just how self-serving I had been, in all of my decisions. I kept telling myself I was helping but how was it helpful to subject someone else to a life time of this just so I didn’t have to go through it alone? Maybe Ellie was better off without me. Maybe everyone was. At least here I couldn’t inflict damage on anyone else.

“I just drink to keep my sanity.” Enzo said with a strained laugh, “I’d kill for a scotch about now.”

“You kill Whitmore, I’ll buy you scotch for life.” I said. Enzo chuckled again, but I had very much meant every word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Augustine still happens in this story, but things are probably going to diverge from cannon quite soon. Stay tuned.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties here with the Mikaelsons, because I couldn't find anything on what they got up to between 1933 and when they appear in Vampire Diaries. What you need to know is that Rebekah, Kol, and Finn are still daggered, and in my version of things Elijah and Klaus co-exist moderately well for now.
> 
> 12/16/18 revised

Ellie

Albany, New York

1954

It didn’t really matter to me where I went. I just needed to get away from New Orleans and the memories it held. I needed to get away from everything, really. I picked France, because I’d never actually left the country before, and I had learned French anyway. May as well put my new skill to use.

When the time came, I waited near the gate, watching other passengers board. I’d never tried anything like this, and I hoped it wouldn’t be fully booked, so there would be a seat available. Finally, when there seemed to be an end to the stream of people, I jumped in line behind a well-dressed gentleman. I tried to hold the air of nobility that he seemed to have as I approached the attendant checking our tickets. He handed the attendant his ticket and told the man, “See to it that I’m not disturbed by the staff? It’s been a very trying week.” The attendant promised he would pass the message along. As he walked off, it was my turn now. I stalled, trying to put some distance between us so he would not overhear my lie.

“Ticket, please.” The attendant said to me. I held his eyes.

“My father already handed you my ticket. That’s him right there.”

He blinked twice, “Oh, apologies, young lady. Go right ahead.”

I smiled gratefully and followed the other passengers onto the plane. I hung back for a moment, waiting for as many people as possible to take their seats so I could slip into an unoccupied one.

As I made my way down the aisle, scanning for a good seat, someone to my right said, “Ah, suddenly you don’t need your father anymore. Pity. They grow up so fast.”

I whipped my head around, staring at the man with wide eyes. He had been several feet away when I told that lie; I didn’t think he’d heard. He gestured to the empty seat beside him. “Please, sit. You can have the window.”

I collected myself, thinking surely this man was going to try and get me in trouble. I let out an annoyed sigh.

“Forget what you heard me say about the tickets.” I said, locking eyes with him.

But he just smiled at me, his eyes bright with amusement. I bit my lip. This wasn’t a human I was dealing with. He looked up and down the plane, the other seats were full. He stood, and gestured to the seat by the window.

 

“Please, have a seat. It looks like your choices are fairly limited. I won’t bite. Not _you_ , anyway.” He smiled a welcoming smile, but it was not a polite request. Something beneath the surface told me it would be in my best interests to comply.

Reluctantly, I moved past him and slid into the seat. He sat back down. I spoke quietly, keeping my voice below the chatter of the other passengers.

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’m just trying to get to Paris and then I’ll be on my way.” I assured him, “You’re not going to France too are you?” There were going to be at least three connecting flights before we reached France. I hoped my luck wouldn’t be that bad.

“Oh, lovely. I do happen to be headed that way. I’ve got a vacation home there. It’s wonderful this time of year.” He said in a conversational tone, but there was still this sense of danger that I couldn’t shake. I decided to try and ease any concerns he may have about me.

“Well, you won’t even notice I’m around. Or maybe I’ll pick somewhere else.” I said quickly, “I know you think I’m volatile, because I’m young. But I have 3 decades under my belt as vampire now. I can control myself.”

“Three decades? The blink of an eye.” He muttered. “Do you have any connections in France? Someone who’s expecting you?”

“I don’t need anyone.” I said defensively. Damn, why didn’t I just lie? He wanted to know who would come looking for me.

He smiled understandingly, and this time it seemed genuinely friendly, without the threat of danger beneath, “I didn’t ask if you need anyone. Although I’d argue that we all need someone…because eternity is quite a long time to be alone.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. I just shrugged and pulled a book out of my backpack, trying to look busy so he’d hopefully leave me alone. Even as I read, I could feel him watching me. I resolved to switch my destination at the next stop. There were other places to explore, France could wait.

“My home in Paris, it has quite a lot of extra space. My brother is there at the moment, it’s just us. Perhaps you would like to stay there for a time. Just until you get comfortable in the city.” He offered. I looked up. His face didn’t show any sign of malicious intent. But I was determined to make it on my own in the world now. I didn’t need anyone’s help.

“That’s kind of you, but I’ll be fine. I was thirteen when I turned, and that was more than 30 years ago. I’m well over 40 now.” I said, trying to summon some false confidence. I definitely didn't feel 40, but he didn't need to know that. At least I had 40 years of life experience.

He sighed with disappointment, and his demeanor changed. It was no longer just a friendly offer, and I could see that now. “I really must insist. You see, I know you don’t agree, but you’re a bit of a liability. You’ve barely begun your life as a vampire, and you’d barely begun your life as a human. You’re a child. You shouldn’t be running about unsupervised. Very well then, we’ll have to this the difficult way. I do wish you’d just accepted the offer.”

Totally insulted, I opened my mouth to argue but he began to speak again. He locked eyes with me and suddenly I found myself unable to look away. I realized, strangely, he was doing exactly what we do to compel humans. But that couldn't actually work on me, could it? This wasn’t possible.

“Open that curtain on the window.” He said slowly. I was confused, but before I realized it, my hand had gone up to the curtain and had started pulling it open. Sunlight streamed through. I had no way of stopping myself, no matter how hard I tried.

“How…how? This isn’t possible.” I whispered. “How are you doing this?”

“Now take that ring off your finger, and hand it to me.” He said in a calm voice. I was horrified. I tried to resist but my right hand automatically moved toward the ring on my other hand. I would die in just a few seconds.

“Don’t do this, please. Stop!!” I begged, fighting the compulsion. I couldn’t stop it though. I was already starting to pull the ring off.

“That’s enough. Leave the ring on.” He said abruptly. I stopped, relieved. “Now, we understand each other. What is your name?”

“Eloise.” I didn’t automatically add Salvatore on to the end. It no longer felt right. “Um, or Ellie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Elijah. I mean you no harm, Eloise.” He said, his eyes softened, “But you are going to come with me, because my brother and I will certainly want to keep tabs on you.”

“I can handle myself.” I growled.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Let’s just enjoy the flight for now.” He said, settling back in his seat. I glared at the window, trying to plot some way I could slip away from him before we’d reach Paris.

This unfortunately could not happen. The moment our plane began to land for the first transfer, he turned to me and used his compulsion over me again.

“You will stay by my side until I direct you to do otherwise.”

“You can’t keep doing that. It isn’t fair.” I snapped at him.

“But you’re my responsibility now, as far as I see it.” Elijah simply replied, “I don’t know who turned you, but they had no business doing so and then letting you wander the world by yourself.”

“You don’t know anything about Damon.” I let his name slip out before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth, staring at him. He could probably compel me to tell him anything he wanted to know. But he didn’t.

“Maybe someday you can enlighten me, on your own terms of course. Come now, we don’t want to miss the next plane.”

 

I tried my best to resist the compulsion but it didn’t make any difference. My feet automatically followed him, and I was forced to stay at his side all the way to Paris, France. I contributed very little to his attempts at conversation. It didn’t seem to faze him at all.

“This is entirely unnecessary.” I said through gritted teeth as I followed him through the streets of Paris. “And you’re going too fast. This is my first time in a new country. I want to sight-see.”

He looked back and smiled, “There will be plenty of time for that later, I plan to stay in Paris for a few more years.”

“A few more years?” I said, “I can’t stay anywhere for that long. Look at me.”

“Let me worry about that. Come, we’re almost there.”

He’d chosen to simply run there, which wasn’t so bad, but I was weary from the flight. Not to mention, starving. My feet complied anyway, despite my desperate need for a rest.

“Home sweet home.” He said at last. We stopped at a large stone manor on a quiet street. It looked old, despite the obvious care that was taken to keep it up, and honestly looked like a miniature castle. “You _live_ here?” I asked in astonishment. They expected me to stay here as well?

“Some of the time, we try not to stay more than a few years at a time. I suppose it’s quite comfortable.”

I followed him through the front entrance, into a ground foyer. “Niklaus? I’ve returned from the states.” He called out, though barely above a normal volume. Within seconds, a blond vampire in a black suit appeared in front of us, and my eyes widened. I remembered this man. It had been years, but he hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Elijah

Paris, France

The first thing she did upon seeing Klaus was scream, and immediately turn to get away. But she was still bound by my compulsion so the effort was unsuccessful. I wish I could say I was surprised by the reaction, but I knew my brother’s track record well enough. Anyone who’s ever met him tended to have a similar reaction.

“No. No. It’s him. I saw him in Chicago.” She said fearfully. “He’s a monster.”

“Elijah, please don’t bring strays in without consulting me first.” Klaus said, barely registering the panicked girl in front of him.

“Wait.” I grabbed her and spun her around to look at me. “Calmly tell me where you’ve seen that man.”

She stopped screaming and struggling and spoke in a monotone voice. “He was in Chicago with a blonde woman and a vampire named Stefan Salvatore. They were torturing a human man for their enjoyment. I was horrified, and I left immediately.”

I glared at Klaus.

“Honestly, I barely remember Chicago, aside from daggering our sister due to her stupid choices. How was I to know who happened to be watching at the time?” He said with a shrug, becoming intensely interested in his fingernails instead. “But fine, here, let me fix it.”

Before I could object he grabbed Eloise and locked eyes with her. “You’ve never seen me before. That was someone else in Chicago who must have had the good fortune of resembling me. This is your first time meeting me.”

“This is my first time meeting you.” She repeated, dazed. Klaus smirked at me, triumphantly. I narrowed my eyes at him. But it was probably for the best. I couldn’t even be surprised that he’d managed to make a bad impression before he’d ever even met the girl. Klaus has been terrorizing humans and vampires alike for centuries.

“God forbid you take responsibility for your poor behavior.” I said tensely.

“Was I upset about something? I feel like something just happened.” Eloise said, rubbing her head. She looked between me and Klaus cautiously.

“You’re just tired from the trip.” I assured her. I would deal with that later. “This is my brother, Klaus. Klaus, this is Eloise. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Ah, fascinating. Why? Are we running an orphanage now?” Klaus asked, folding his arms.

“She’s a vampire.” I said, “She was thirteen when she was turned.”

“Well, who was foolish enough to do that?” he rolled his eyes in boredom, “Kill her. We don’t have time for this.”

Her eyes widened and she turned to me in fear.

“I was dying. My family thought they had no other choice.” Eloise said, “And I’m right here. Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.”

“Yes, Elijah, don’t talk about her as if she’s not here.” Klaus said in mock disapproval, he looked at Eloise, “And there was a choice, dear. Whoever turned you made the wrong one. They should have just let you die. If Elijah were wise, he’d kill you right now.”

She took a step or two behind me, as far as the compulsion would allow, looking at Klaus with uncertainty. She was a fast learner.

“I’ve elected to make her my responsibility for the time being. If you disagree, she and I will stay somewhere else. It’s your choice, Klaus.”

“Fine. Keep the stray. Just keep her out of my way.” Klaus said, and instantly vanished from the room. That probably could have gone better, but I'd actually expected a far worse reaction from Nik.

That had gone about as well as I could have hoped. I looked down at Eloise, who was looking me nervously. Who could blame her, after that less-than-warm welcome?

Truthfully, I didn’t know that living with me and Klaus was the best idea for a relatively new vampire. But I also didn’t want a thirteen year old with superhuman abilities and a thirst for blood roaming around the same city I planned to stay in. Or any city, for that matter. I’d seen the negative effects of out-of-control vampires, sometimes those had been my own siblings. I intended to make sure this girl would not be another one of those horror stories.

“Allow me to show you to your room.” I said to her, trying to adopt a casual tone.

“Do I have a choice? I’m still compelled to follow you around.” She reminded me, placing her hands on her hips. My mind flashed to Rebekah, and her attitude at that age. Maybe that was another reason I’d taken an interest.

“Right, of course, let me adjust that.” I made eye contact with her again, “You no longer have to follow me. However, you are not to leave the property without myself or Klaus.” Yes, I was satisfied with that directive.

She scowled. “I’m not a child. How do you do that, anyway? I didn’t know vampires could compel each other.”

“I can compel vampires, and my siblings can. We’re the only ones. I’ll explain all of that when it’s time. Compelling you to stay on the property is for my own peace of mind, and for your safety. My brother and I…have enemies. Someone could decide to hurt you as a way to get to us. Now come on.”

I led her upstairs, giving a brief tour of the house as we went.

“My room is right there, at the top of the steps, and Klaus has a room on the next floor. Your room is going to be right down this hall.” Close by, in the event something should happen. Or Klaus should decent to murder her after all.

“This place is massive.” She whispered.

I opened the door to what had previously served as a guest bedroom, so the décor was quite neutral. It was fully furnished with everything she could need, though. Inside was a large four-poster bed, an armoire, a vanity, even a small sitting area in the corner.

 

“Let me know how you want it decorated. Colors, patterns, whatever you decide on. I’ll have it arranged. Sorry it’s a bit of a blank slate at the moment. I’ll allow you to get settled.”

“Your brother hates me.” She said, “How do I know he isn’t going to drive a stake through me the first chance he gets?”

“He doesn't hate you. If he cared enough to kill you, you’d already be dead. Don’t concern yourself with his bad attitude. God knows I don’t.” The only reason I stuck around sometimes was for the sake of company. Once in a while, we did have fun together and bond, but those times were usually few and far between.

She nodded, still looking uncertain.

“You’re safe here. I’m going to make sure of it.” I promised her. “Come find me if you need anything.”

 

I left her in the room and went to find Klaus. I didn’t have to look very far; he was already on the staircase listening in.

“Eavesdropping?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. I walked past him down the stairs and into the sitting room.

Niklaus followed me, much to my dismay. “You’re going soft.” he taunted.

I didn't have a strong argument against that. I was already telling myself that I was just looking out for my own well-being, that this was nothing more than a precaution to keep a potential problem under control. Maybe I was just tired of only having Klaus around for company, since I had no idea where he was keeping our siblings.

“I’m merely making sure she can be monitored-”

“Oh, save your excuses. You saw a sad little girl and decided to come to her rescue.” Klaus paused, and shot me a look, "whether she wanted to be rescued or not. Yes, you’re quite the hero.”

“She’s a child, she doesn't know what her best interests are."

“Well don’t expect me to get involved in your little project. “ Klaus said, shaking his head. "The second she find a way to bother me though, I’ll put an end to her myself.”

I didn't doubt that.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised 12/17/18

Ellie

Paris France

 “Do you have any formal education, Eloise?” Elijah asked one evening, out of the blue.

 I’d been there a few weeks now, and honestly it wasn’t so bad. It was unlike anything I was used to though. I hardly had to lift a finger to do anything for myself, and compelled humans were routinely brought in for us to feed on. I insisted on leaving my prey alive, and compelling them to forget the incident. Klaus was far less scrupulous than I was in this regard, but Elijah seemed to humor me at least when I was around. Klaus still made me uneasy, and I stayed close to Elijah on most days.

Elijah was just as ruthless as Klaus when he needed to be. I watched him rip vampires apart for centuries-old transgressions. That sort of sight tends to provide some very vivid nightmares, and I requested to be left out of _that_ part of his day-to-day routine. But he had a special interest in my well-being, and that provided some level of comfort.

A part of me felt guilty for getting comfortable so quickly. But I’d given up on finding Damon, if he was even alive. If he was, well, I didn’t want to think about the fact that he hadn’t bothered to come back for me. And I was beginning to see that Elijah was right. I didn’t truly want to be alone.

I cringed at the question, hoping it wasn’t leading where I suspected it was. “I went to school when I was a human, until I was 12. After that my parents needed me home to take care of our farm. Since I became a vampire, I’ve just been teaching myself whatever I’ve wanted to learn.” I explained, and added, “And I’ve told you so many times, call me Ellie.”

“I’ll arrange a tutor then. We can probably get someone to start next week.” He said thoughtfully. He returned to reading without so much as asking me for my thoughts on the matter, which did  _not_ sit well with me.

“I don’t need a tutor. I just told you, I’m self-educated.”

 

“We’ll start with the basics and see what you already know, and proceed from there.” He said, ignoring my statement and turning the next page in his book. _The basics._ Like I was some sort of idiot.

“I don’t want to.” I mumbled. “I want to get out of this house. You said I could see the city.”

“And you will see the city.” He said, still completely ignoring my protests about school. “I need to have a witch come by, for security measures.”

“What does that mean?”

“It  _means_ that I’m ensuring you have extra protection when you’re out. You’re not nearly as powerful as Klaus and I, you could easily be killed.” He said.

I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would really want to kill me. I wasn’t that important. But I understood by that point that the Mikaelsons were more paranoid than most people. There was no such thing as being too cautious. It was easier just to go along with it.

A couple of days later, a witch did come to the house. She cast a cloaking spell, so others wouldn’t be able to find me using magic.

“This is…a little overboard, don’t you think?” I already couldn't leave the grounds without Elijah or Klaus present.

“The Mikaelsons have angered many over the centuries. They’re cautious.” She said casually. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she turned and dug around in her bag. She produced a bundle of sage and whispered a few words, lighting it. “Listen, child, you seem like a good-hearted person. And there are many who believe Elijah is a good man, despite his loyalties to Klaus.  _Klaus_  is not to be trusted. Remember that. He’s left a trail of bodies wherever he goes. He doesn’t care. Is there anyone you care about, besides the Mikaelsons?”

Damon’s face appeared in my mind for a moment, but I suppressed that image. “I don’t know.”

“ _No.”_ she said fiercely, and grabbed my shoulders. I was completely thrown off-guard. “The answer is no. You care for no one else. Do not ever give Niklaus Mikaelson reason to believe you could betray him. He’ll kill you, or the people you love, without a second thought.” She extinguished the sage and packed up her things. She gave me one last concerned look before leaving the room. I stood there alone, trying to process everything she’d told me. She had no reason to lie, but no real reason to help me either. In fact, helping me seemed downright dangerous if she was truly afraid of Klaus.

I was shaken after the conversation with the witch. I knew Klaus was a force to be reckoned with just judging by the way others acted around him. It seemed everyone, even Elijah at times, walked on eggshells when he was around. But I never realized he instilled this kind of fear in people.

“You seem perplexed.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, and whirled around. Klaus stood in the doorway, watching me. Why did he look at everyone like…like a wolf watching its prey?  I tried to push the witch’s words out of my mind. He made me nervous, for sure, but I was usually able to at least talk to him. Call it stubbornness or just stupidity, but I didn’t like to let him intimidate me. I struggled to find my voice now.

“I…I um. I was just thinking of asking Elijah to-” I stammered.

“What did that batty woman say to you?” he asked, cutting me off and stepping into the room. He knew she’d done something, he just didn’t know what. Whatever the witch had said in the room must have prevented him from hearing the conversation. I took a step back, instinctively.

“She didn’t say anything.” But I said it far too quickly, it was an obvious lie.

“I could just compel you to tell me what she said.” He studied me for my reaction. I tried to keep a blank face.

“So why don’t you?” I said, doing an incredibly job keeping my voice even.

“Because my dear older brother would be irritated with me, plus I know he’s listening now and heading straight for this room to tell me to-”

“Leave her be, Klaus.” Elijah said icily as he suddenly appeared in the room.

“As you wish.” Klaus strolled out the door, completely unaffected, while Elijah stared daggers into his back until he was gone.

“Don’t pay him any mind.” Elijah said, closing the door behind Klaus, "He thinks it's funny to scare you."

I thought about telling him what the witch said to me, in the hope that he would ease my fears. Klaus was…abrasive, but maybe she was wrong about him. But I didn’t want Klaus to hear. He would only be angered by it, and I didn’t want him to go after the witch for revenge. In addition to that, Elijah could be offended as well. Despite his strained relationship with Klaus, he didn’t take kindly to transgressions against the family. No matter how well-founded they might be.

“How do I stay on his good side? Or even get on his good side to begin with?” Every time we crossed paths—which I tried very hard to avoid—he looked at me with contempt.

“These things take time. Show him you’re trustworthy. Loyal.” 

“Sometimes you seem like you barely get along, and you’re brothers. How am I supposed to manage?”

“My quarrel with Klaus is a special case, one you don’t need to concern yourself with for now.” Elijah said, and added, “He’s still family though.”

I vowed to at least  _try_  to get along with Klaus, even thought that seemed utterly impossible.

Three days later, I was outside wandering the grounds. I found I could go pretty far before running into an invisible barrier, which Elijah’s compulsion would not allow me to cross. I walked the perimeter, as I usually did. The first few times I did it, I had hoped to find some secret loophole that would let me cross the boundary. I sometimes still thought about that, while I walked, but then I wasn’t sure I’d actually leave. Maybe I enjoyed the routine and stability.

I was in the back of the property, in a wooded area, that day. I liked the peace and quiet of the woods, and being as far away from Klaus and his temper as I could. I stopped and sat down on a fallen tree trunk, trying to clear my head for once. I’d had my first day with a tutor and hated every moment of it. I caught on quickly, and it was soon very clear to the man that I was much more advanced than what he expected. He was ill-prepared. Elijah said we would just keep going until they knew what my education level actually was. So that was irritating. I pulled a book out of the small bag I’d brought with me and started to read.

I heard a twig snap nearby, and felt a gust of wind. I tensed, and looked around, but I didn’t see anyone. I tried to return to my book, but I was suddenly lifted up and slammed against a tree nearby.

Klaus was in front of me, one arm pinning me to the tree, and another holding a stake right above my heart. My breath caught in my throat and I tried to struggle out of his grip. I found my voice again and opened my mouth to yell for Elijah, but Klaus tossed the stake behind him and released me. I collapsed on the ground, confused and shocked.

“Pathetic.” He said, stepping back. “You didn’t even know I was there until it was too late.”

All of my fear over the past few weeks disappeared. I was tired of it. Tired of doing my best to avoid him, so I wouldn’t anger him, and then he has the nerve to actually seek me out to torment me.

“What is  _wrong_ with you?” I shouted, “I’ve tried so hard to stay out of your way. Is that not what you wanted?”

“Me? What’s wrong with  _you?_ And Elijah? You walk this perimeter nearly every day, completely vulnerable to anyone who wants to sneak up on you, which I just proved would be child’s play. And Elijah  _allows it,_ without even bothering to train you to defend yourself. Yet he he’s just so concerned about your safety.” He growled, “You’re both foolish.”

“Why do you care? You hate me.”  If anything, me getting killed would only be a good thing in his world.

“Come with me. Let me show you exactly what I mean.” He turned and started to walk away. I frowned and ran to catch up.

I followed him back in the direction I’d come from, and we didn’t need to walk far before we stumbled upon the desiccated body of a freshly staked vampire. I looked at Klaus in surprise. Where could this person have come from?

“I just came this way, maybe 20 minutes ago, where did he-”

“I followed you. I do almost every day, or I send someone else to do it. This idiot meant to kill you, so I killed him first.”  He ripped the stake out of the dead vampire, “This is the second one I’ve caught. We’re going to tell Elijah now so he can either adjust the boundaries you’re compelled to stay within, or teach you how to not get yourself killed.” He grabbed my arm, dragging me back towards the house.  He was an Original, with at least a thousand years on me, and my strength was no match. I struggled just to keep my feet under me as we ran.

“Fine, but why does it matter to you? Why did you protect me?” I almost expressed gratitude. I was more than a little bothered that I’d apparently been so close to death. And Klaus, of all people, had prevented it.

“He’ll probably sulk if you die. He’s gone and gotten himself attached.” Klaus said as we burst through the door. Elijah was already waiting in the foyer. He must have heard the shouting outside.

“Klaus, release her! What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, walking up to me.

Klaus let my arm go, and I inspected the purple bruise that had formed. It would go away soon, but I was still surprised by just how strong his grip had been.

“She was in the woods. Another vampire tried to kill her. I killed him first. Because  _she”_ he glared at me, and I shrank back a bit like a scolded child, “was too naïve to pay attention to her surroundings.”

“She’ll stay in the house then. Ellie, come here.”

“What? No!” I backed away from him, “That’s not fair. I can’t live like this forever. I’m tired of being compelled to follow the rules. You don’t trust me at all.”

In a flash, Elijah was inches from me. He grabbed my chin and tilted my face upwards so I was forced to look at him. I grabbed his hand and tried to pull away.

“Why not teach her to protect herself?” Klaus interjected, much to my surprise. Surely, just compelling me would be the easier solution in his mind.

“Since when are you concerned with her well-being?” Elijah asked him, still holding on to me.

“If she’s confined to the house, she’s going to drive us all insane. I’ll oversee her training myself.” He said this as if it wasn’t the strangest thing to have ever come out of his mouth.

The pause after Klaus’s words seemed to last an eternity. Even I wasn’t sure what I wanted. The thought of being kept in the house sounded like torture, but I was certain that any kind of self-defense training with Klaus would be just as painful. Elijah regarded Klaus with suspicion but then looked back at me.

“Alright then. Klaus will ensure that you can properly defend yourself.” And then he locked eyes with me again and I felt the compulsion take hold, “But you are not to leave the house until I’m satisfied with your progress.”

He finally released me and I took several steps back. I accidentally backed up to the front door, which was still open, and hit an invisible barrier. I groaned in irritation. I’d train every day if I had to, if it meant getting out of the house again. ‘We’ll start tomorrow.” Klaus said in a too-cheerful tone. My resolve faltered a bit. Maybe his plan was to just _accidentally_ stake me during training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am *eventually* going to jump this story ahead to about mid-season 2 of Vampire Diaries, but I'm having a lot of fun exploring this dynamic with Klaus and Elijah. We will hear from Damon again soon though!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter I've done so far. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Revised 12/19/18!

 

_ Ellie _

_ Paris, France _

Before I knew what was happening, I had flown clear across the room and slammed against a wall, sliding down and landing painfully on the floor. I groaned, and struggled to get my feet under me quickly, but Klaus was already there, pinning me with the dagger above my heart.

“I win. Again.” He said with a triumphant grin, releasing me and stepping back. We were practicing in the basement, as Elijah insisted that if we destroyed anything upstairs he’d have our heads.

“This is isn’t a fair match at all. You’re 1000 years older than me. I’m not strong enough, or fast enough.” I said, rubbing my shoulder where it made contact with the wall. His eyes held no pity for me.

“Oh, sorry. Did you assume that the only vampires who attack you would be evenly matched?” he feigned an apologetic tone and I punched his chest. It seemed like safe enough thing to do, considering the circumstances.

I knew he was right though. We squared off again, both of us holding stakes. I had to somehow stay one step ahead, anticipate his moves.

I watched his face, trying to see if there was anything I could use to predict where he would go. I watched his eyes, and swear I saw them flicker just slightly to the left. Immediately after, he was heading for my left side but I was able to duck out of the way and charge him. It didn’t bring him down, but it surprised him. I kicked him square in the chest in that split second of surprised, but he grabbed my foot and twisted it painfully, cracking the bones in my ankle. I screamed and fell to the ground.

“Better, but still stupid.” He flipped the stake in the air and caught it, “Let’s take a break. Elijah’s on his way down here anyway, I guess he probably got tired of listening to you get yourself hurt.”

“Getting  _myself_ hurt?” I growled, and winced as the bones in my ankle popped back into place.

“That’s enough for today, while she’s still in one piece.” Elijah said, as he appeared beside me. The one constant in my life was Elijah showing up the moment anything remotely unpleasant happened to me. It's like he was always listening now.

“No! Let me try again.” I said, jumping to my feet. “One more time. I’m fine, honestly.”

I knew he thought I was weak, and in constant need of protection. I had to prove him wrong.

“Alright. Once more.” Elijah said, moving away from Klaus and I. We both took our positions, and I glared at him with newfound determination. He grinned viciously.

This time, I made the first move, running full speed at him and swerving to the right at the last second to get behind him, but he anticipated me—as always—and dove to block me. I crashed back against the floor but found my footing again much faster this time. His leg shot out to deliver a blow to my stomach and I  _actually_ dodged it in time. Invigorated with newfound confidence, I jumped and tried to bring him down from above, I crashed on top of him and managed to pin him for a second, but he easily overpowered me. He grabbed my head and turned it swiftly to the side. Everything went black.

_ Elijah _

“ _Niklaus.”_ Elijah said in a scolding tone.

Klaus laid her unconscious body down the floor, surprisingly gently. He vanished for a moment and came back with a couple of bags of blood. He sat down the floor and leaned against the wall.

“She’ll be fine. She needs to know these things can happen. What would you do if she were abducted, and tortured for information about us?”

“She can’t leave the house, it’s irrelevant.”

“Do you intend to keep her hidden away forever? Do you think she’d be content with that?” Klaus argued, and added, “Or do you plan to compel her to be content with that? I wouldn’t judge you, by the way. It’d be easier.”

I remained silent. Truthfully, it had crossed my mind on many occasions to compel her into loyalty. I could compel her to tell me everything about the vampire who turned her and lived with her for the first part of her life. I could completely erase him from her memory, and replace him with myself. Surely, she would never stray from us.

_But why do I care?_

“I mean, since you seem dead set on this whole notion of being a father figure, I’m only trying to help.” He said, as I took a seat beside him.

“I’m not going to compel her. Trust and respect are things one must earn.” I watched her for signs of life, but there was nothing yet. Younger vampires often took a little longer to come back after a “fatal” injury. Klaus scoffed.

“Plenty of people respect us, because they fear us. That’s the easiest way to gain respect.”

“Not when it’s your family.” I replied, a bit too bitterly. Our siblings were somewhere in the world, daggered, and I had no idea where their bodies were. He refused to tell me. He used the fear of being daggered to keep them under his control many times over our lives. He never needed to with me, despite our differences, because he knew he could trust me. Our brothers, and our sister, had unfortunately been less consistent.

“Oh stop. They deserved what they got. Eventually I’ll give them another chance.” Klaus said with complete nonchalance. I thought of all the time they were missing out on, and my blood boiled, but now was not the time to have that fight.

Eloise began to stir.

“Enough of this talk.” I whispered. I didn’t want her to hear about our siblings just yet. I grabbed a blood bag and went to her side. She opened her eyes and gasped for breath, and I brought the blood bag to her mouth. Greedily, she drank, still not quite oriented, but getting there. I grabbed the second one and she emptied that too.

“Feeling better?”

“He snapped my neck.” She said, shooting Klaus a look that could kill. He grinned.

“You’ll be more careful next time.” Klaus reasoned. Unsurprisingly, he exited the room to avoid any further conversation. She ignored him, and instead leaned against me, which was an unexpected move. An odd paternal instinct swept over me and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“He’s helping…in his own way. You need to be stronger, more prepared.” I said, attempting to make my voice sound gentle. I really wasn’t great at this. If I failed though, she didn’t seem to notice.

“I know. I’ll work harder.” She whispered, “I’m sorry I let you down.”

I hadn’t anticipated her saying something like that. It didn’t occur to me that she would care about such a thing. I thought back to my father, and his harsh way of raising us, and his rage when we failed. I didn’t want to be like that. Especially knowing how Niklaus had turned out. The world didn’t need another one of those.

“You’re improving. He’s much stronger than you, remember?  You’ll do better tomorrow.” I encouraged her. I hoped I didn’t sound as awkward as I felt.

She nodded, and I helped her up. She rubbed her neck for a moment, and smiled.

“It’s better now.” She said, and after a moment she sighed heavily, “I know Klaus means well. It’s refreshing that he doesn’t hate me quite so much.”

She told me goodnight and went upstairs to go to bed. I stayed up well into the night, growing very concerned that I truly was getting too attached. Getting close to people was dangerous. Maybe security measures were in order.

She looked me sleepily, rubbing her eyes. “What is it?”

“Eloise,” started, using compulsion on her, “What is the name of the vampire who turned you?”

“Damon Salvatore turned me.” She answered automatically.

“Thank you. Forget we had this conversation. Sleep now.”

Her head hit the pillow again instantly, and I felt a twinge of guilt. I knew she hadn’t wanted to reveal his identity. I left the room to find Klaus right outside the door.

“Salvatore.” He said, “I’m actually quite familiar with the name. Wonder if he’s any relation to that idiot boy Rebekah nearly abandoned me for.”

“Well, would you care to do some research for me, brother? I’m interested to know his whereabouts.” I knew he would have no issues with this.

Klaus smiled darkly. He was always pleased in the moments I began to see things his way.

“Gladly. Consider it done.”

This was fine. This was just gathering information. I would not do things the way my brother would.

_ Ellie _

More weeks began to pass, before  I even realized it. I had still yet to defeat Klaus when we sparred, but I was at least not getting my butt kicked right away each time. I was growing increasingly bored with the tutors Elijah brought in. In turn, they were growing increasingly irritated with me and would quit after a couple of weeks dealing with my impatient attitude. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to be taught things I already knew.

At which point, Elijah usually killed them. He took their resignations as a personal insult to his family. He really said that.

“I can’t work with your child any longer, sir. She’s disrespectful. And frankly, she has too much of a smart mouth for her own good.” The last tutor said, looking at me with contempt.

“Maybe if you actually knew how to teach…” I fired back.

 

“I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding,” Elijah said politely, “Maybe the curriculum simply isn’t challenging enough.”

“I’ve changed the curriculum! Six times! She still complains. She doesn’t even participate.” He folds his arms, “That brat thinks she knows everything.”

That was when Elijah’s face darkened. The tutor, not knowing what he was involved with, took no notice.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Elijah said tersely.

“I’m sorry your daughter is so insufferable. I know now why you’ve struggled so much to find someone.”

He turned to leave, but never managed to make it to the door.

“You will  _not_ disrespect my family.” Elijah was on him in seconds, draining the life from him. I watched, but not triumphantly, because I knew a lecture was coming as soon as the tutor was dead. He wasn’t wrong, I _was_ insufferable.

Elijah let his body dropped and the turned towards me. He continued on as if there wasn’t a lifeless corpse behind him. I still couldn’t help feeling a little unnerved at the sight of a dead body, so I focused on Elijah instead, fighting the urge to avoid making eye contact with him.

“You realize this is the 9th one?” he said, staring me down. I could understand why so many people died begging for forgiveness at his feet. That cold stare frightened even me sometimes. “Now we’ve got yet another body to dispose of.”

“Yes.” I said, fighting to keep my face blank.

“You’ve driven each and every one of the off with your attitude.”

“I have.” I shifted side-to-side nervously.

“It’s clear this cycle cannot go on long term. Paris will run out of tutors.” I felt relief wash over me. Finally, I could be  _done._ But then he continued, “I’ll oversee your education myself.”

“You really aren’t going to let this go, are you?” I relaxed, no longer fearing wrath from him, but I crossed my arms in annoyance. In an instant, I forgot about the cold, calculating version of the man that had just killed my tutor.

“I’m a very determined person.” He said with just the slightest smile, “We’ll start tomorrow.”

I began to sincerely regret tormenting the humans who attempted to teach me, in the following weeks. Elijah didn’t waste any time. If he felt I understood something well enough, he would move to something more advanced. We had finally reached a point where I wasn’t struggling to pay attention. On the contrary, I was struggling just to keep up.

“I need a break. Like, a week long break.” I said when he let me end my lessons early one day.

“I thought you knew everything, and you had no use for school?” Elijah asked innocently.

I didn’t take the bait, and stormed into the kitchen to grab a blood bag from the refrigerator. I refused to admit that maybe he had been right. I changed the subject instead.

“I want to hunt. It’s been so long.” I said, looking at the blood bag disdainfully. “Will you take me hunting? Or even Klaus can. I know he goes often.”

“I’ll consider it. With necessary precautions.”

“Compel me to stay with you, send an army with me,  _anything._ I’m bored.”

“I  _said_  I’d consider it.” That signified the end of the discussion. And then his sudden disappearance from my side made certain we were done talking.

I spent the rest of the day flipping through channels on the tv since he apparently wasn’t going to speak to me. He did this every time I tried to push for a bit more freedom. He hated the whole conversation. If he avoided me, he didn’t have to discuss it. He didn’t have to admit that maybe I might have a point.

I went to bed that night, and tossed and turned. I dreamt I’d found Damon again.

_I ran through the woods, panicked. I heard his voice. I know it was him, clear as day. But he kept changing directions, running faster._

_“Damon!” I called out, slowing to a stop, and trying to catch my breath. He was here somewhere, I just knew it. Why was he avoiding me? “Please talk to me.”_

_Wind swept through the trees, and I felt a gust rush behind me. I whirled around but there was still no one there._

_“Did you even try to look for me?” his voice behind me said. I turned back around and there he was, right in front of me._

_“I…I didn’t know where to even start. You never told me where you went.” You never trust me, I thought suddenly. It was the first time I’d ever let myself think something like that. But it was true, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t even let me meet his brother._

_“You disappeared.” I said angrily._

_He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “I reunited with my brother. I had no use for you anymore, Ellie.”_

_His words stung, and I felt sick to my stomach. “You said you’d never leave-”_

_“Oh come on, Ellie.” He said with a laugh, “I was lonely, and sad that my brother was a lost cause. But I went to see him…and he was fine. All reformed. We could be brothers again. I had no need for a makeshift family anymore.”_

_“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, as tears fell down my face._

_He merely laughed wickedly and vanished, leaving me alone again._

I woke up, gasping. I touched my cheeks and felt fresh tears on them. I sat up and looked around the dark room, feeling more alone than I had in a long time. Quietly, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I’d never get back to sleep now anyway.

Downstairs, I noticed the door to the study was cracked, and light streamed through. Hoping Elijah would be there, I pushed the door open.

But it was Klaus, sitting on the couch with a book in his hand. He looked up at me, mildly surprised.

“I thought that was you coming down the stairs.” He said, “What are you doing up?”

“Sorry. I thought Elijah would be in here. I’ll head back to bed.” I started to leave but he spoke up again.

“Please, stay.” He said to me, “I could use the company.”

Afraid to go back to bed and have anymore haunting dreams, I reluctantly agreed. I sat down on the couch. “I can’t sleep anyway.” I admitted.

_ Klaus _

This was working better than expected. Putting the dream in her head had had exactly the effect I needed. Elijah would not approve, but he would thank me later. It hadn’t been difficult to get just enough information out of her during our training sessions to put something  together.

“Why is that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. I closed the book, to let her know I was free to listen.

“Oh, just a bad dream. It’s…it’s nothing.” She said quickly, “It’s nothing you’d want to hear about.”

“Try me.”

She looked a little surprised by my sudden interest and bit her lip, trying to decide if this was a good idea or not, no doubt. I didn’t press, just patiently waited.

“I had a dream about…the vampire who turned me. His name was Damon. It felt too real.” She shuddered, “He said he didn’t need me anymore, because he found his brother. That’s why he left.” Her voice broke.

“That does sound dreadful.” I replied, feeling genuine empathy for her. Yes, the dream was my fault, and it was absolutely necessary if I hoped to break the ties she had to this Salvatore fellow. But being abandoned, that was real, and something I understood far too well.

“Maybe he really did find Stefan…and forget about me.” She whispered, mostly to herself. I saw my opening though.

“Stefan? Couldn’t be…Stefan Salvatore could it?” I asked, with my voice full of innocent surprise.

I could tell she was at war with herself on whether or not she should answer.

“Yes…that’s his brother’s name.” she said slowly.

“So the vampire who turned you…was Damon Salvatore.”

Her expression was all the confirmation I needed. I sighed, and then broke eye contact with her. I rubbed my temples, as if struggling with some dilemma of my own.

“What is it? How do you know him?” she asked, “Have you seen him?”

The poor child was desperate for good news. Her eyes were full of hope just then, and I would destroy that. All for the greater good though, all for her own good.

“Eloise,” I whispered sadly, “I feel you may be better off not knowing.”

“No, Klaus,  _please_. Please, I need to know. Just tell me, even if it’s bad.” She begged.

I stood up, and paced the room for a moment. I really did turn on the theatrics, looking as though I was wrestling with this decision. After a moment, I sat back down, and gently took her hand in mine.

“I ran into Stefan…and Damon, in my travels a couple of months before you came here.” I started slowly. I had her undivided attention now. “I had a couple of drinks with them. I thought they were nice enough guys. They were both in great spirits…living it up honestly. Seemed to get along better than Elijah and I usually do.”

This was a total lie. I’d searched for Damon Salvatore already. I couldn’t find a trace of him. I sent a vampire to casually ask his brother, and even Stefan hadn’t heard from him. No one had in well over a year. There was a good chance the man was dead. I could have just told her he was. But heartbreak from betrayal is just a more permanent way of severing ties. 

And she did look heartbroken. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes and I held my arm out, offering comfort. She collapsed against my chest, sobbing.

“I wondered for so long…” she whispered, “I didn’t want to believe he’d really abandon me so easily.”

“Shhh. I know, dear. I wish you didn’t have to find out this way.” I soothed, stroking her hair. I looked up at the doorway, where Elijah now stood. Our eyes met, and his narrowed slightly, but he said nothing, and quietly disappeared. We both knew I was doing what he should have been doing all along. He disapproved, but only because he hadn’t had the guts to this himself.

“You have a new life, Eloise.” I said quietly, “You have a new home, with two of the most powerful vampires in existence, might I add. You don’t need anyone else.”

“I feel like everyone will just leave eventually.” Her voice came out in between sobs.

I tilted her face towards mine, and this time I really did speak with absolute honesty.

“Well, I certainly won’t. Elijah won’t. Good luck getting rid of him, honestly.” I embraced her once more.  She didn’t realize how serious the statement was. People don’t simply severe ties with our family. “Get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

She smiled, wiping her eyes. “Good night, Klaus. I think this is the nicest you’ve ever been to me.”

That statement made me feel just the slightest bit guilty. But I buried it. Guilt was not an emotion I cared to entertain.


	8. chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter and I thought about breaking it up, but I really wanted the next chapter to be the one where they finally catch up to the show. So here you go!
> 
> revised 12/19/18!

_ January 1, 1958 _

_ Augustine Society Headquarters _

_ Damon _

Flames began to close in on me. I didn’t want to leave him here, but I couldn't get the damned cage open. The bars were coated with vervain and I was already weakened. Enzo tried too, but hissed in pain and released the bars.

"I'm sorry, Enzo." I said, backing away. I had to get out, I couldn't die in here. I was so close to being home free.

"Damon, please!" He cried, but I closed my eyes, blocking his voice out. There was only one way to walk out of here and leave him behind. I wasn’t proud of what I was about to do. When I opened my eyes, I no longer felt conflicted. The switched had flipped. I looked at him one last time with vague interest, but no grief.

His cries followed me as I walked towards the door, unfazed. I left him there.

I stepped out into the night, with the building blazing behind me. Enzo was going to die, and I felt nothing. I did what I had to do to save myself, and that’s what mattered.

Five years. Five long years I’d been trapped in that hell. I had no idea what to do now, or where to go.

 _What about Eloise?_  I thought to myself, but then I quickly pushed that thought from my mind. I’d been gone for five years…it would be foolish to think she’d waited that long. Besides, I didn’t care…or couldn’t care. I couldn’t bring myself to feel any remorse now for leaving her behind. I’d let her down, and I didn’t need that kind of emotional baggage right now. I had to let that go. I didn’t know where Stefan was either. I no longer had anyone to call my family.  _Don't kid yourself,_  I thought,  _she's better off without you. Everyone is._

I set off down the street, ready to inflict some much overdue rage on any human that happened to be out tonight. In an odd way, the anger felt good. It was exactly what I needed. I could probably have a lot of fun now without all the moral hang-ups of the past. I had no one to try and better myself for, that was for sure.

_ February 23, 1958 _

_ Venice, Italy _

_ Ellie _

We’d moved, and no one would tell me why. Only that it was imperative that we move right away.

Still, Italy was nice. I was allowed out at this point, but only with Klaus or Elijah accompanying me. I was also required to use a fake name if I spoke to anyone, ever. Honestly, I didn’t get many chances to socialize. I had very little experience interacting with other kids, so every exchange felt painfully awkward. It didn’t help if Klaus was around, looking every bit as menacing as he could. He thought attempting to make friends was over-rated. It didn’t matter too much. It was a small price to pay for the freedom to see more of the world.

I stepped out onto the balcony and watched the canal below me. It was early morning, but there were a few boats traveling back and forth. I loved this city. It was a stark difference to our mansion in Paris countryside. Here, I could people-watch right from my balcony. I didn’t feel so shut off from the world. In addition to that, today was an important day.

I walked back into my room, and out into the hallway. This apartment wasn’t as grand as our previous residence but it was still relatively spacious. Elijah’s room was right across from mine and Klaus’s room was on the ground floor. I pounded on Elijah’s door first and ran down the stairs to do the same to Klaus’s door, but he opened it before my fist could make contact.

“You’re annoying.” He said.

“It’s my birthday.” I grinned. “Where is my present?”

“Your present is that I allow you to live when you insist on waking me up at the crack of dawn.” He said grumpily, pushing past me. Unperturbed, I followed him. I was finally used to him and his mood swings. Klaus had to be in an extremely foul mood for me to even consider keeping my distance. Luckily, he was usually only in a slightly foul mood.

He opened the fridge, took out a blood bag for himself, and held another one out for me. I shook my head.

“It’s my birthday. I only want the fresh stuff today.”

He rolled his eyes and tossed the extra back in the fridge.

“Elijah? Get down here.” He yelled, “The  _stray_ is bothering me.”

“He’s awake. He’s just getting dressed.” I said.

“Ah, someone’s getting better at actually paying attention to her surroundings.” He picked up a glass from the counter and threw it at me, full force. I caught it with ease. It didn’t even break. Smiling, I placed it back on the counter and took a bow. I’d come a long way in the past couple of years. I’d actually  _almost_ staked Klaus once or twice in practice.

“Good morning.” Elijah said, walking into the kitchen.

“I’m 54 years old.” I announced. They both knew, of course. I hardly let them forget in the past month that my birthday was in fact coming up.

“And you’re barely more than a newborn.” Klaus added.

“I’m ignoring you, Klaus. Go find another parade to rain on.” I turned back to Elijah, “Can we go shopping today? Remember, you promised me the whole day. No business to attend to, nobody to kill.”

“Oh yes, can we?” Klaus clasped his hands together in mock excitement.

“I’m  _ignoring you.”_ I said with a sharp glare.

“Well, you’re failing miserably. But fine, I’ll return your gift.”

I lunged at him, but he was already way ahead of me, and had moved clear to the other side of the room. I crashed into the wall but recovered and resumed my pursuit.

“Oh, for the love of—would you both  _stop._ ” Elijah said, shaking his head. “Klaus, honestly.”

“Me? What about her?” he gestured to me and I flashed my most innocent smile. 

 

“Forgive me for not holding the  _child_  to the same standards.” Elijah replied sarcastically.

I received more clothes and jewelry than I would probably ever wear, a violin because I had gotten tired of the piano, new records, and other small trinkets from Klaus’s travels. He would often leave for weeks at a time, but he always brought me something back and, apparently, more to spare for future birthday gifts.

Elijah took me shopping in the afternoon, though I really didn’t buy anything. I was mostly content to watch people going about their lives, and see what new styles every generation could come up with. Fashion seemed to be ever-changing, and I sometimes felt I would never keep up.

He dutifully followed me around through every shop and I wondered if someday he might actually let me go out on my own.  I really didn’t think following me around while I shopped was very exciting or interesting for him.

“Dusk will be fairly soon” I mused as we walked down the sidewalk next to the canal. The shops were closing and people were on their commute back home from work. It would not be long until the nightlife began.

“A couple more hours, yes.” He agreed, but said nothing more.

“So can I hunt tonight? You hardly ever let me.” I stopped and spun to face him, causing him to nearly trip over me.

“Very well. Let’s go back and get Klaus, though. I’m sure he’ll want to accompany us. This business of keeping a low profile seems to be affecting his mood.”

“No, he’s always like that.”

Elijah said nothing to that, but I noticed the slightest smile on his face. It was rare that I could genuinely get him to lighten up.

We returned to the apartment, where I hounded Klaus to accompany us until he agreed, and then we set off into the evening as the sun began to drop below the horizon. This city seemed to wake up at night and Klaus took full advantage. Even Elijah seemed to relax a bit, and they both drank at the bars and flirted with beautiful women who instantly fell head over heels for the brothers, no compulsion needed.

I could wander a bit, as long as I stayed within sight. This was a world I would never quite be able to blend in with, even with compulsion. I couldn’t very well socialize. I found on too many occasions that some human men could be awful creatures when they encountered a young girl alone at night. I didn’t like to kill people if it could be avoided, but I did the world a favor, ending people like that quickly. The women, who were usually at least in their twenties, I never had anything in common with.

After feeding just a bit from a few people, who hardly noticed, I began to get bored. I looked up at Klaus laughing and flirting with a woman at the bar, and Elijah making quiet conversation with another beautiful woman.  Both were completely preoccupied, which was just fine with me. Sometimes I really couldn’t stand the constant hovering. I was probably the most protected teenage girl in all of Italy. I found a table where a young woman sat alone, sipping her drink. She honestly didn’t seem much older than me, which was strange.

“I’m thirsty. You’re going to offer me your wrist.” I spoke in Italian, compelling her.

She raised an eyebrow and responded to me in English. “You must be new. Don’t worry, it gets easier to recognize others of your own kind with time. You just have to know what to look for.”

I backed away in an instant. I hadn’t had many experiences with other vampires. Klaus and Elijah both had acquaintances, but most people that I actually got to meet did not live much longer. She seemed harmless though.

“I um, don’t get out much.” I admitted.

“Relax, I’m Anna. And you are?” she offered her hand, and I shook it.

“Gabrielle.” I lied. I rotated through a list of names usually, though Klaus still insisted I should choose a new one every single time.

“Lovely to meet you, please have a seat. What brings you to Italy?” she asked, and I carefully sat down across from her. I chanced a quick look towards Elijah and Klaus. Elijah’s “date” was nowhere in sight and he was now intently focused on me and this girl. Klaus was discreetly feeding from the woman he’d been talking to but his eyes were locked on me as well. She didn’t seem malicious, and I worried that merely talking to me might actually get her killed.

“My family and I are just travelling. There’s so much of the world I haven’t seen yet.”

She grinned. “That’s the best part, you know? You have so much time, to see everything, do everything. You know, it’s been nearly 500 years and it still never really gets old. It helps that the world keeps changing. You have to keep going back, to see what your favorite places have become.”

“500 years?” I whispered, “I can’t even imagine.”

“It goes by faster than you think. Beats dying of the plague when I was 16, like my siblings. Anyway, will you be staying long? I could use a friend to get into trouble with.” She gave me a conspiratorial grin and I really wished I could say yes. I nearly did, but I was interrupted.

“Unfortunately, we’re just passing through.” Elijah said behind me. I looked over at the bar. Klaus was still seated, but watching. I looked at Elijah disdainfully but I turned back to Anna and smiled as if everything was completely fine.

“Yes, my father’s right. We’re leaving tomorrow. It was nice talking to you.” I said, getting up from the table and taking my place next to Elijah.

She looked disappointed, but smiled back, “Good luck to you, Gabrielle.”

Elijah and I exited the bar, and Klaus joined us a few moments later.

“She left the bar soon after you did. She didn’t follow though, I trailed her for a few blocks.” Klaus said, more to Elijah than me.

“You didn’t hurt her, right?” I asked nervously.

“Of course not.” Klaus laughed, and I felt relieved. “She had no idea who any of us were. It just needs to stay that way.”

Yes. Never get close to anyone. Never let anyone know who we really were and live to tell about it. I still had no idea what there was to be afraid of. As far as I knew, no one was capable of beating the Mikaelson brothers.

Klaus stopped and looked at me knowingly, “It gets easier.”

“What does?”

“All of this. Never settling down, never getting close to people. It’s not that bad.”

“When does it get easier, then?”

He hesitated, then replied, “Give it a few decades.”

So I did, because I couldn’t imagine living my life with anyone else.

_ May 1995 _

_ Dublin, Ireland _

_ Ellie _

The message arrived on an ordinary day, while I played cards with Klaus and he pretended to lose. I always knew, but I appreciated the effort anyway.

“You’re cheating. That’s all there is to it.” He slammed his cards down the table after my win. “I didn’t live a thousand years just to lose a card game to a little girl.”

I laughed, and shook my head. “Best two out of three?”

He agreed, but at that moment Elijah walked into the room with a perplexed expression. He was holding a folded up piece of paper.

“This appeared in my front pocket.” He said to us, unfolding it.

Reading quickly, his eyes widened. “Impossible.” He whispered. He handed the note to Klaus, and I strained to see but he quickly re-folded the note and put it away before I could even get a glance.

“I’ll go check it out.” Elijah said to Klaus, “It could very well be a trap.”

“Check what out? Can I go?”

“No.” they both answered at once.

“I want to see it for myself.” Klaus whispered.

“You and I both know I should be the one to look into this first. Let me make sure it’s safe, Niklaus.” Elijah reasoned with him. I looked back and forth between them, confused by their expressions of hope mixed with apprehension. Klaus relented. Elijah said he would leave first thing in the morning. I was left out of the loop.

The next morning, I was in an eerily familiar situation as I watched Elijah prepare to leave. He’d never left me for more than a few hours before.

I followed him anxiously from room to room. I’d actually gotten up extra early that day so I could be up before him, just in case he meant to leave without saying good-bye.

“I know this is difficult for you.” He sighed, finally addressing my presence. I could hide nothing from him, he knew I was thinking of Damon.

“Is it that obvious?” I asked softly, “Can I please go with you?”

“Not this time. It’s for your own safety.”

I wasn’t stupid, I knew there had to be an element of danger in what he was going to do. He refused to tell me any more information.

“Be careful though. Come back.” My voice broke.

“Three days, Ellie. I’ll be back in just three days. You have my word, and you know yourself I’m a man of honor.”

I nodded, blinking back tears. He hugged my shoulders, and said goodbye to Klaus. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Klaus was completely unbothered by Elijah’s departure, but he still placed a hand on my shoulder and reassured me that his brother would always return.

“Honestly, Ellie, I’ll probably never be rid of him. Don’t start trying to get my hopes up.” He joked, in an attempt to lighten my mood. It worked, just a bit. “Tonight. You and me. We’re going to do whatever the hell we like, and drink from whoever the hell we like. Got it?”

I nodded, wiping a tear from my eye. I needed a good distraction.

Later that night, we both got ready to go out for the night. Despite my anxieties about Elijah being away, I was getting excited. I was quite certain this was against Elijah’s rules, as Klaus had a history of showing very little restraint when he wanted to have fun.

“But are you  _sure_ you want to go out tonight? Maybe we should just stay home, rent a movie.  _Interview With A Vampire_ is on VHS now.” Klaus teased.

I glared at him, “Don’t even joke. And I’m not watching that. I read the book, Claudia is a brat.”

He put his hands up in mock surrender, and I threw a book at him. He caught it with no effort.

“If you’re done assaulting me, I believe it’s time to go. The sun has set. The night is ours.”  He made a dramatic sweeping motion with his arm as he opened the door. Even though we were able to walk in the day, there was something so much more inviting about the darkness. It seemed like the night really did belong to us.

“I want to check this club out.” I said, dragging Klaus along. We were well into the night now, and had been to a few bars already and even crashed a party. We had to quickly make an exit though, because Klaus fed a bit too long on one of the guests. If he had his way, it would be more than just one.

“ID.” The man at the door said to me, looking skeptical.

“You don’t need to see it.” I said casually. He nodded, and let me by. Klaus followed soon after. Our senses were assaulted by the loud music, flashing lights, and the sea of humans on the dance floor. Klaus wasted no time moving into the mob of people, grabbing a human man and whispering something to him before sinking his teeth into the man’s exposed neck. I honestly didn’t even need to feed right now, but I needed the distraction. I followed after him and picked out a boy in the crowd who definitely had to have used a fake ID to get in here.

“Hey! I’m going to bite you now. You’re gonna love it.” I said to him. He nodded and I bit into his neck, forgetting about everything besides the warm blood filling my mouth. I repeated this process with a few others, being careful not to take too much. But it was proving to be too difficult to restrain myself. At last, while feeding on a brunette woman in the back corner of the club, I couldn’t stop. My mind screamed at me to stop and I couldn’t. I drank until there was nothing left. Her body slumped against me and I panicked, but Klaus was by me in a heartbeat.

“Set her down against the wall, let’s go.” He whispered, pulling me away.

“I…I didn’t mean to.” I said frantically. It had been years since I’d actually killed a human. How had I lost control so easily? I released her body, and Klaus grabbed me. We were out of the building in seconds. He led me to an alley where we would be out of sight.

“Why does it bother you?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t want to kill innocent people.” I said, “They’re still people, even if they’re humans.”

“Ellie, look at me.” He said gently, and I did. “Do you know who I am? Who Elijah is?”

“You’re the first vampires.” I said, unsure where he was going with this.

“The oldest in the world, and the most powerful.” He said a fierce pride.

“I know, but I’m not.”

“But you’re part of  _our_ family. That gives you more power than you understand.” He said with conviction, “It’s time you stopped worrying yourself with human life. Your life is far more valuable.”

“I don’t think I feel that way…” I said slowly, pulling away. He held fast though.

“If you’re to be a member of our family, you need to act like it. Hold your head high, Eloise. Humans would kill you the moment they know what you truly are. You have nothing to be guilty about when you simply take their lives before they take yours.”

“My father locked me up in a cellar when I turned.” I whispered, “They hated me.”

“They hated you because we’re far more powerful. It’s your nature to kill them. You only hold back as an act of mercy. But honestly, why bother? They would show you none.”

Klaus had always questioned my choices when it came to feeding from humans, but this was the first time I’d seen him really aggressive about it. Something was different. He was usually fine with covering his tracks and leaving as little trace as possible. Tonight I’d seen him behave more recklessly than ever before. Maybe because Elijah wasn’t close by to reel him in. I knew Elijah killed often when he fed as well; he just had the good manners to be discreet about it, and respect my choices.

“I know you feel guilt, but deep down how does it really feel when you drain the life from someone?”

I thought about it, but I didn’t want to say the truth out loud. I pushed away from him and started down the street but he blocked my path. “Say it, Eloise.”

I tried again to push past him but he didn’t budge.

“Stop it, Klaus.” I snapped, and slammed both fists into his chest. He cocked his head, not even remotely affected. My hands hurt. That was a stupid idea.

“Say it.”

“It felt amazing, okay? Are you happy now? It felt great.” I said bitterly, “Now leave me alone.” He finally let me by and I raced down the street and to our apartment door. It was true. Those few seconds before I truly realized what I’d done, I felt genuinely alive. I’d wanted to kill again. Just for a moment.

“You can be mad as long as you want. I’m only trying to help you see the truth.” Klaus greeted me, already at the door. It frustrated me to no end that he was always one step ahead. I went inside and realized for the first time that Elijah would not be there to act as a buffer when Klaus and I clashed. Whether it was all in fun, or we were genuinely angry at each other, we butted heads often simply because we were too alike. We were both headstrong, hot-tempered, and for some reason I couldn’t understand on Klaus’s part, terribly uncomfortable with being alone.

I felt slightly lost. I wanted to be able to talk to Elijah about my concerns. Not Klaus.  

I went to bed and didn’t wake up until early afternoon the next day. Klaus was already up. I could hear him moving about downstairs. I didn’t think I could face him after our fight. I had admitted how amazing it felt to fully drain the blood from someone. I didn’t want to see his smug satisfaction.

However, I also couldn’t lay in bed forever. I wanted a blood bag, and decided to try and run downstairs and back without him seeing me.

Quietly as possible, I stood up from my bed and prepared to get to the kitchen and back. I ran downstairs, through the hall, and into the kitchen, so far without even seeing Klaus. I grabbed the blood bag from the fridge and started down the hall for the stairs again, but when my foot hit the first step, a hand grabbed the back of my shirt collar and yanked me back.

“Not bad, but you’re too loud.” Klaus said, still hanging onto my shirt. I clawed at his arm and he released me.

“I’m not looking for approval.” I muttered, straightening my shirt.

“What are you doing sneaking around? Not avoiding me, I hope?” he feigned offense, and I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t feel like talking.” I opened the blood bag and took a drink.

“Well, I do.” He locked eyes with me and compelled me before I could process it, “Join me in the living room.”

I cursed, and my feet automatically followed him. He commanded me to sit down on the couch and he sat on the opposite end.

“Elijah gets upset when you use compulsion on me.” I reminded him irritably.

“Elijah will get over it.” Klaus shrugged, “Now. First things first, I’d like to apologize.”

“Huh?” that was unexpected. Klaus doesn’t apologize.

“I was too pushy, and I know that. But you need to understand, I only want you to be strong. And I do believe you could be powerful someday.”

“I’m not an Original. I’ll never be as strong as you, or Elijah.” I said, my eyes downcast. At the end of the day, I was mostly just a liability that needed more protection.

“Now, you see, here’s the fascinating thing. You just need to give off the impression that you  _are_  just as strong. Elijah and I have already been handling the rest.”

“I don’t follow.” I raised my eyebrows, and tried to act like whatever he was saying was irrelevant. But I was curious now.

He had a sly smile, “Rumors are an interesting thing. It only takes a few words over the decades, a whisper here and there, and maybe throw in ‘oh, I’ve said too much’ for good measure. Soon, people begin to talk.” He winked, “Elijah and I have perhaps been putting the idea in circulation that there is, in fact, another Original vampire. You know, maybe Elijah had a child in his human life. What’s his physical age anyway? Who knows?”

The blood bag slipped from my hand. I grabbed it before it hit the floor. I stared at him, open-mouthed. He had to be joking.

“How?”

“It’s simple. I’d casually let it slip when I’d ‘had too much to drink’, compelled a vampire or two to believe the story, maybe threatened a couple of witches to convince them to go alone with it. The story will spread on its own. There are many who don’t completely believe we even exist, so it’s not like adding on to the _myth_ was that difficult. You’re the child of Elijah that we’ve kept so carefully hidden away, until just a few decades ago. So that part’s dealt with. People  _will_  fear you. You just have to play the part.”

“But surely there are people from your past, from before I was ever even born…”

“Irrelevant. Do you know how many conflicting accounts of us there are floating around already?”

I struggled to process this information. It was suddenly a lot of weight to carry. I looked up at Klaus though, and I only saw honesty in his eyes. Despite our constant fighting, I knew he cared about me. For some reason, he actually wanted me to live.

“I don’t know if I’m cut out for that. For…making people believe I’m like you.”

“Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do. If Elijah reports back with good news, we may finally be able to freely live our lives. Oh, you can get up now. Compulsion reversed, and such.” He said, motioning with his hand.

I didn’t move from my seat. “Why though? It seems like a lot of trouble to go to.”

“You being here has given my brother the one thing I’ve selfishly taken away from him over the centuries. A family. Besides, you’re not the first young stray I’ve taken pity on, believe it or not. I know now what mistakes to avoid.” Klaus answered solemnly. I didn’t press further for information. There were many things they didn’t tell me about their family. I’d stopped asking, knowing it was better to just let the answers come in time.  

The next day, Elijah came back as promised. I hugged him tightly and he remarked on how delighted he was that Klaus and I hadn’t killed each other.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” Klaus asked him after we exchanged greetings.

“A witch, from Mystic Falls, bound Mikael and entombed him in North Carolina. He has been successfully neutralized.”

“Why on earth would they do that?” Klaus asked suspiciously. Few witches would willingly do something that would be  _good_ for vampires, especially their family.

“The witch who told me refused to give information on that. She told me that if I threatened her life, she had someone ready to release him. In return for the news of his death, we’ve been asked not to set foot in Mystic Falls. It’s a fair trade, brother.” Elijah said decisively, “We have all we need.”

Klaus nodded in agreement, deciding in a rare moment to just let this minor issue go.  _Finally_ , they told me just who Mikael was, and why it was so important that he had finally been stopped. We would no longer be on the run.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, slight modifications to the original storyline. Elijah has no intention of killing Klaus, and genuinely wants to help him break the curse because family and all that. Because I adore Klaus and everyone just needs to be nicer to him.

_ March 2010 _

_ Chicago, Illinois _

_ Ellie _

“Listen, kid. I don’t want any trouble.” The man said, taking several steps back and throwing his hands up in surrender.

“Oh, I know. Neither do I. Neither does my father.” I said, employing an overly-light tone. “Or…my dear uncle. Please don't upset them.” I didn’t move towards him, I didn’t need to. I wasn’t there to kill him; I wasn’t  _trusted_  with that task just yet. I was only there to deliver the message.

 

“Tell the  _witch_  you’re trying to protect that she needs to keep her nose, and her magic, out of places it doesn’t belong. We have a witch or two of our own, and I promise you they’re far more powerful.” I smiled that same predatory smile I’d seen on my  _father and uncle_  so many times in the past.

It was only a weak attempt at a spell meant to desiccate and disarm Klaus. Our witches detected her easily. But still, a threat is a threat. She had to be dealt with.

I left it at that, because he seemed to get the message, and assured me that it would never happen again. I left the small apartment and walked the stairs to the ground floor, where Elijah waited for me.

“Posture. Chin up.” He said as he fell into step beside me. I corrected myself quickly.

“I could have done that on my own.” I told him, as we stepped out into the night to head home. I knew the conversation would go nowhere. For the past year or so, they’d let me deliver messages, or threats, with the appearance of being alone. But Elijah or Klaus were always close by, out of sight. Just in case.

“I have no doubt that you could have. He sounded petrified.” Elijah agreed, much to my surprise, “But you know I’m not one to take unnecessary risks.”

I was well aware.

However, the rumors that Elijah and Klaus had been subtly spreading for decades had taken hold in several parts of the world. People respected me. If they didn’t, they learned to very, very quickly. Klaus seemed to just enjoy the theatrics of it all. He said there was just something so entertaining about watching centuries-old vampires and powerful witches cower before a small teenage girl they  _thought_  was one of the oldest vampires on earth. Because even if people may not believe I was one of the originals, they knew I was close to them. I liked the power I had.

It felt strange to be back in Chicago, I hadn’t thought about the city since I’d been here with Damon. That was so long ago. I was a different person now.

“We’re home.” I called out as we entered our current residence, a spacious apartment right in the heart of the city.

“I take it things went well?” Klaus asked, pouring himself a glass of bourbon.

“He got the message. It was child’s play.” I shrugged.

Klaus raised his glass in approval, and I turned so no one could see the proud smile on my face.

“I’ll be on the balcony.” I called over my shoulder. I enjoyed the view.

I was lost in thought, watching the people and cars on the streets beneath us. The city was always alive. Even if I didn’t have a daylight ring, being a vampire in this age was so easy. There were always humans roaming the streets, at all hours. It was an endless buffet.

I was startled by the sound of Elijah’s phone ringing inside. I couldn’t help but tune in when he answered.

“Rose wants me to meet her  _where?_  It had better be worth it….yes…mhm…well for her sake it’d better be true. I’ll be in touch.”

There was a brief pause as he hung up, and then he said, “Niklaus, I believe you’ll be quite interested in the phone call I just received.”

Intrigued, I followed his voice to the living room, not wanting to miss out on anything. Elijah hardly took notice of my entrance. He almost seemed to be in shock.

“You remember…Trevor and Rose, yes?” Elijah began, waiting for Klaus’s reaction.

Klaus’s face darkened. “How could I ever forget? Have they decided they want to die?”

“Rose wants to meet with me. The location is…curiously close to Mystic Falls. ” Elijah said those last two words in a hushed voice, as though hardly believing what he was saying.

“ _Katarina._ I wonder if she’s been tracked down after all.” Though Klaus was projecting an uninterested tone, everything about him suggested otherwise. He’d suddenly tensed up, with a murderous look in his eyes. I wondered who Katarina was. This was the first I’d heard of her. Whoever she was, Klaus clearly despised her.

“I’ll look into it. We don’t need you ripping half a town apart of it turns out to be a lie. Trevor must be dealt with anyway.”

I took the break in the conversation as my chance. “I want to go with you.”

“Honestly, it’ll be dreadful, Eloise. They want me to meet them in the absolute middle of nowhere. And they’ll probably be lying and I’ll probably have to kill them.” Elijah said dismissively.

“I won’t get in the way. It’s…it’s a learning experience.” I searched my mind for something else to say, “Yes. Like a field trip.” I grinned.

Elijah glanced at Klaus, who shrugged indifferently.

“Fine, we’ll leave in the morning. Get your things.”

I hugged him and raced upstairs to pack a bag. If this turned out to be something important, I could really prove myself. Then maybe they’d stop coddling me.

In the morning, we were ready to go. Klaus made Elijah swear to contact him as soon as we found something out. He made  _me_ swear not to run off and get myself killed.

“The only person allowed to kill you is me, anyway.” He reminded me. I was not at all bothered by his statement, but somehow I did feel like he was being truthful. Despite how comfortable I’d gotten around Klaus, I fully believed that if anyone would kill me, it’d be him. But I didn’t need to worry. I had shown I was loyal.

Elijah did not seem interested in telling me exactly who Trevor and Rose were, and why we were meeting them in the middle of nowhere. Later that day, Elijah and I arrived at a rundown house far out from civilization.

“How do you know this isn’t a trap?” I whispered as we walked towards the house. I tried to focus on the voices inside.

_“He’s here! This was a mistake.”_

_“No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me.”_

_“No!! He wants me dead, Rose.”_

They sounded terrified. I looked up at Elijah, knowing he could also hear the conversation inside the house, but his face remained emotionless. He was just a little bit scary like this. I couldn’t help feeling just as nervous the people in the house.

Elijah knocked on the door and I heard more panicked conversation before a woman answered.

“Rose-marie. Is there somewhere we can talk?” Elijah said in that calm voice that somehow contained a threatening undertone.

She gulped, “Yes, in here. Forgive the house.”

“Oh, no, what's a little dirt? I completely understand. So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?”

I followed them into the dilapidated kitchen as the woman continued to speak. She wanted her freedom, and to finally stop running. Understandable.

They talked about a woman named Katarina Petrova, and how she was supposedly alive. But more importantly, judging by the edge in Elijah’s voice, they spoke of something called a doppelganger. I’d never heard of this before. Elijah considered for a moment and spoke. “Show her to me.”

“Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I want to hear you say it again.”

“You have my word that I will pardon you.” And then he turned to me, and pointed to a pantry at the end of the kitchen, “You. Stay there and do not come out until I come get you or…if something goes wrong, don’t come out until it is quiet.” He’d used compulsion, and I wasn’t supposed to let on that he could compel me when there were others around. I silently cursed and prepared a very long speech about how undignified this was, for later on. My feet obeyed the command. Behind me, I heard Rose ask if I was the girl she’d heard about, but then he compelled Rose to forget she even saw me.

I closed the pantry door and pressed my ear against it, listening intently to the conversation.

“We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going.” Elijah said. A girl spoke next, begging the others not to let Elijah take her. They ignored her, and instead Elijah began to speak to a man named Trevor who was apologizing profusely for some past transgression.

“Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that I honor. Where was your loyalty?”

“I beg your forgiveness.”

“So granted.” Elijah said far too pleasantly. But I knew better, I knew what that tone meant. I heard a loud  _thwack,_ and a thud, and then a woman scream. Elijah calmly reminded her that she was free now, and she was silenced.

Now he was talking to the other girl, the terrified one, about something called a moonstone. I felt a bit angry that I hadn’t heard of any of these things before today. I was still excluded from so many secrets.

“What is this  _vervain_ doing around your neck.” He said in disgust, and I heard something clatter to the floor, “Tell me where the moonstone is.”

“In the tomb, underneath the church ruins.” She answered immediately. They spoke for another minute or two, but there was a clatter upstairs. Elijah asked Rose if anyone else was here, and she swore she was alone. I then heard a couple of different voices speak in barely above a whisper. One sounded…familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?” there was a loud crack of wood, “I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?”

They would surely listen if they knew what was good for them. I anxiously strained to hear more. There was a commotion and I knew a fight had broken out. I tried to fight the compulsion so I could help but it was useless. I heard one last thud. I didn’t hear Elijah anymore.

“Hey, come here. Are you hurt? Are you okay?” said a voice I didn’t recognize. I listened as they left, feeling panic rise in me. I continued to strain against the compulsion until finally I broke free, because it was now quiet.

I ran out of the kitchen and found Elijah, desiccated and pinned against the door with a wooden coat hanger. I ripped it out with ease and he slid to the floor. That would speed things up. I went into the main room and found the headless body of a man lying on the floor, but no other signs of people. I went back to Elijah’s body, sat beside him, and waited. I pulled my phone out, my favorite recent gift, and played a game mindlessly while I waited for him to heal. The people who did this would pay dearly soon enough.

The color started to return to his face after a while, and not long after he finally regained consciousness. I set the phone down and looked at him.

“Elijah!” I said anxiously. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

His eyes widened in panic, and he grabbed my shoulders, “Eloise. Tell me, did you see anyone? What did you hear?” He was compelling me, which was strange. I had no idea what he was so concerned about.

“I didn’t see anyone. I only heard the fighting. No one said very much.” I answered truthfully. He released me, looking relieved, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing at all, my dear. It simply appears I underestimated our adversaries.” He said, standing up and stretching.

“You should have let me help.”

“No. You don’t need to be involved with these individuals. But it’s no matter.” His faced hardened with contempt, “They’ll all die very soon.”

“I want to  _help._ ” I insisted, angry, “They need to suffer. They hurt you.”

_ Elijah _

I saw in her face that she was determined to get revenge. But this had been a close call. Too close. Damon Salvatore had been here, in the same house, and luckily neither she nor Damon had any idea. It was not a risk I wanted to take again. I had to send her back to Klaus until I could get this situation under control, or kill the Salvatores.  Perhaps I could eliminate them quickly and then collect the doppelganger?

Of course, there was a third option. One that Klaus had urged me to do since the beginning, to ensure that I would not lose her.

But that would take a lot of compulsion. I was weakened right now, I needed blood.

“We’ll discuss this later. I need to feed.” I told her.

She walked ahead of me and I pulled out my phone, sending Klaus a message.

**Damon Salvatore is here. We had a close call.**

Within minutes, he replied. His suggestion was unsurprising.

**You can make her forget him for good.**

Yes, I could. I would have to.

A few days later I left Ellie at our hotel a little ways outside of Mystic Falls and compelled her stay there.

“You know, I’m getting a bit tired of that.” She had told me. I couldn’t blame her, especially knowing what I was planning to do as soon as I returned. But she would be better off.

Standing outside the coffee shop in Richmond, I listened intently as Damon Salvatore, Rose, and a gentleman named Slater discussed their incredibly wrong information about the sun and moon curse. I absentmindedly passed a handful of coins back and forth. Such fools. I couldn’t kill them, not yet. I wanted Damon to suffer first anyway. I just wanted them to be afraid for now, and I needed to get this Slater character alone.

I threw the coins full force at the window, watching it shatter. I smiled as the people inside began to panicked and then I sped towards the building, compelled Slater to go directly to his home and  _stay there_ until I could deal with him, and left again all before Rose or Damon could see me. Satisfied with the message sent, I went back to Ellie.

“I’ve got a warlock coming shortly. We had some things to discuss.” I’d already spoken to Jonas privately. I worried that my compulsion alone wouldn’t be enough. But he could perhaps strengthen it with his magic, and make sure it would hold even if I were daggered. He agreed to try; he had no choice while he believed his daughter was being held against her will be Klaus. She wasn’t. But I didn’t see any reason to correct him.

“What is it?” She asked, although she was still angry with me for compelling her to stay in the hotel. She was staring intently at her phone, refusing to make eye contact.

“I’ll tell you shortly.” I promised. In a way, this was not a lie.

Jonas arrived later in the day. “Did you figure it out?” I asked.

“I have found something that will work.” He said, glancing at Ellie. He was conflicted, but I ignored it.

The first order of business was to find out everything I possibly could about Ellie’s life with Damon Salvatore. I sat down next to her.

“Ellie, I have something important to discuss with you.”

This got her attention. She liked to be involved in things. Over the years I’d learned to keep guilt buried. For once, I was struggling with that.

“What?”

I captured her eyes and began sending out the compulsion. “I need you to know, even though you will forget this moment shortly, everything I do is for your safety. Ellie, I need you tell me about your time with Damon Salvatore. Tell me about every detail that mattered to you.”

And she did. I’d heard bits and pieces over the years, but this was the first time I’d truly heard the story of her being turned, and kept captive by her family, and rescued by Damon. She told me everything she possibly could. Right up until the day he disappeared and she never heard from him again. I never realized the heartbreak she experienced when he left. I felt better about my decision. I could erase that from her life.

“Are you ready, Jonas?” I said softly. He nodded, and began a spell that was supposed to reinforce the changes I was going to make to her memories.

“You will forget Damon Salvatore. The name will no longer hold any meaning to you after today. You’ve never met the man in your life.” I said carefully, she nodded and I continued, “It was me that turned you. And then I discovered what your family was doing to you and I killed them all…and I saved you. I’ve never left.”

I continued on, slowly altering her memories, reinforcing the idea that I had been there all along, almost like a father. I replaced the memory of Damon leaving, with one of me taking her to Paris to meet my brother. I took out the memory of meeting her on the plane all those years ago. This process took a long time, and I was tired by the end, so was Jonas. But we had done it. This would be fine. I could reverse it if I wanted to, and I would. When all this was over.

Finally it was time to distort her memory of today too. I told her to forget the compulsion she’d just been under, and that Jonas had just come over to discuss our revenge against the vampires who bested me at the old house.

“You’re going to let me help, right? I can’t stand by again while you risk getting hurt.” She said fiercely. She was completely oblivious to what we had all just been through. Jonas and I exchanged glances and said nothing.

“Of course, dear. I do believe it’s time I let you take a more active role in these matters.”

_ March 30, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

It had been 5 days since the incident at the old house, and I was still apprehensive about what we were getting ourselves into. Apparently we needed this girl, Elena, to help Klaus break a curse. But due to her vampire friends, this suddenly got much more complicated. Elijah explained to me what a doppelganger was and why it was imperative that we get her alive. I was eager to help, though. I had wanted so long not be left out of things. Literally since the day I met Elijah in 1917, I’d only wanted to prove myself. Those early years were so fuzzy now. Maybe that’s just what happens. Eternity is far too long to remember every detail.

It was a simple task to track down the aunt, Jenna, and convince her that my father was a historian and we were given her name as a reference for information. She was more than happy to invite us over to her house. Better yet, she invited us both  _into_ her house. Elijah explained the plan to me beforehand. We’d kept tabs on this girl. She wanted to protect her friends and family. We only had to persuade her to cooperate and promise that her loved ones would be safe. I protested, of course, insisting that the ones who attacked Elijah should suffer. He agreed, but told me we would worry about that later.

“I know they’re in this closet somewhere.” Jenna called back over her shoulder while we stood in the hall. She produced a box and then dove back in for a couple more. At that moment, I heard someone else come down the stairs.

“Oh, you’re just in time, Elena!”

“What’s all this?”

“Your mom’s stuff from the historical society, I was just getting it out for” she closed the door, revealing Elijah, while I stood a few feet away, “Elijah.”

Elena’s eyes went wide.

“Hey, I’m Elijah.” He offered his hand, “It’s a pleasure.” Elena reluctantly shook his hand. I could see the fear in her eyes.

“Elijah’s in town doing some research on Mystic Falls. His daughter, reached out to me. Sorry sweetie, what did you say your name was?” Jenna called to me.

“Valorie, ma’am.” I said politely, “Thank you so much, by the way.”

“So you're both welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or Elena and I could help you load it into your car. Either way.”

“I’ll have someone collect it tomorrow. Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna. And Elena.” He said warmly.

We stepped out into the night, and Elijah pointed to a window cracked open on the second floor. “That’s her room. Wait there, please.” I nodded and scaled a tree nearby, easily launching myself into the room without a sound. I peered back outside to see Elijah quietly re-enter the house. I turned and walked around the room, noting pictures of friends, family, anything that might be useful later on. I heard her panicked run up the stairs and then listened as she checked on her brother and then Elijah quietly spoke to her.

“I think it’s time you and I had a little chat, Elena.” He said to her. Soon, they were in the bedroom. She regarded me with horrified surprise.

“Lock your windows.” I told her with an apologetic shrug.

“Forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm…so long as you comply.”

“Are you here to kill me?” she whispered.

“Of course not. I very much need you alive. And really, I don’t need you right away. Klaus needs to get here first, and there are other pieces that we need to get in order to break this curse. So I’m prepared to offer you a deal in the meantime. I’m willing to allow you to stay here, with your friends and family, until the time is right.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” She was suspicious. Smart.

“If I wasn’t telling the truth, I’d kill your family right now and take you directly to Klaus.” He glanced at me, “I just have to give my child here the word and she’ll see that the task is completed.”

“So you won’t hurt my friends and family?” She asked, not believing him in the slightest.

“No harm will come to them by my hand, you have my word.” No, not by his hand. He wasn’t lying. Elijah could be called many things, but a liar was simply not one of them.

“You’ll keep them safe?”

“This is taking forever.” I muttered.

“Patience, dear.” he reminded me, and looked back to Elena, “I know you have a friend with magical gifts. I have friends with these same gifts. They will be assisting me.”

“I need you to do one more thing for me.” She said finally. I groaned and Elijah shot me a look that meant  _shut up._

“We’re negotiating now?” Elijah asked, amused.

Hours later, after making the deal with Elena and talking to the warlock Jonas, we arrived at the tomb beneath the grounds at Fells Church. I didn’t like this part, and I made sure to let Elijah know as often as possible as we made our way there.

“He tried to  _kill_  you, and he’s a ripper. I’ve heard his name before.” I argued. Elijah looked at me with newfound interest.

“Where did you hear his name?” He asked.

I wasn’t sure. Where  _had_ I heard about Stefan Salvatore, the vampire who massacred entire villages? I couldn’t remember. “I…I don’t know. But I know I’ve heard of him.”

The concern disappeared from Elijah’s face. “Perhaps Klaus mentioned him at some point. I believe they’ve met.”

Yes, that must have been it.

“It doesn’t matter where I heard it. He should stay in that tomb.”

“A deal is a deal, Eloise. We’ll handle him soon enough.” Elijah reminded me. As walked down into the tomb, my anxiety increased. Not because of Stefan, but because of the dark, enclosed space. I found myself clutching his arm.

“I don’t like this. Not at all.” I hissed.

“You’re more than welcome to wait back at the surface.” He replied. There had been no insult in his words but I took offense anyway.

I shook my head, “No. I can handle it. Let’s just…be super quick.” I told him warily. We found that Stefan Salvatore and the woman named Katarina Petrova, now known as Katherine, met us at the entrance. Katherine’s face contorted with fear when she recognized Elijah. I knew that Elena was an exact replica of her, but I was still not completely prepared when I saw her. It was eerie.

“Good evening, Katarina. Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened.” Elijah greeted her with a smile. He looked in Stefan’s direction, “Your release has been requested.” He explained to him the deal Elena had made, and that the spell had been lifted. Stefan skeptically walked to opening and took a step. He was able to pass through. Katherine’s eyes widened and she too tried to cross, but Elijah stopped her in her tracks.

“As for you however, you should not exit until I say so. When Klaus comes, he'll want to know exactly where you are.” There was nothing but terror on her face at this realization. Elijah said to Stefan, “You’re free to go. Elena will explain the deal. If she keeps her word, I’ll keep mine.”

Stefan did not appear to have much faith in Elijah, but he nodded. I had hung back in the darkness, apprehensive about this entire plan, and he glanced at me curiously but said nothing to me. The woman was begging him not to leave her trapped there.

“Goodbye, Katherine.” Was all he said, and then he was gone.

I looked at her and felt pity, suddenly. I had been in her position before. It was nothing short of torture. Before we left, I tentatively asked Elijah “Can I bring her blood?”

“Why would you want to do that?” Elijah asked, “She betrayed us, you know.”

“Being locked away like this…” I trailed off, not wanting to relive that time, “It’s a cruel fate.”

“It’s your choice. Come now, we have a lot to do.” He left, and Katherine and I looked at each other for just a moment before I followed him out of the tomb. I’d watched Elijah and Klaus kill countless people without batting an eye, but leaving her there felt so very wrong.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a heads up, Eloise goes through some PTSD in this chapter, but it's not too detailed.

_ April 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

I took two blood bags out of my back pack and lightly tossed them over the barrier that Elijah’s compulsion prevented Katherine from crossing. It had been two days since we freed Stefan, and I’d been back at least twice a day in that time to bring blood and whatever else she might need. She told me to go away at first, and that she wasn’t anyone’s charity case. But I hung around. Truthfully, I was bored. This big important task of getting the doppelganger actually involved far too much waiting around.

“So why are you doing this, anyway?” she asked me on my second visit that day.

“I’d want someone to do the same for me.” I answered honestly. I didn’t particularly enjoy being down here. The unease set in fairly quickly every time, but I pushed past it to try and be a decent person.

“Well…it’s pointless. Klaus is just going to kill me anyway.” She countered. I was well aware of that. Klaus and Elijah both seemed to despise her.

“Well, at least you’ll have your strength. You don’t seem like the type to just die quietly.” I commented.

She smiled, “You’re quite right about that. So what about  _you?_  I know what people have said over the years. But I don’t recall meeting you during my first run-in with Elijah.”

I let my face show nothing. “He’s…protective. I’ve only recently had a bit more freedom.” The answer was well-rehearsed.

“Must have been lonely.” She remarked, before draining the second blood bag, "Can't imagine any sort of normal life with those two."

She was right. Occasionally other people drifted in and out of our lives, but the only constant was me, Elijah, and Klaus. Our life was indeed far from normal. I couldn't remember what a normal functional family would even look like. Would I even enjoy a normal life at this point?

“My father lives a lonely life too.” I said, feeling a bit defensive. It wasn't his fault we were this way. The Mikaelsons had no choice, being the most powerful vampires in the world. People would always be in fear of them, and because of that, there would always be enemies. No one could be trusted. 

“Maybe he’d have better luck if he stopped killing people left and right. There’s a thought.”

She was baiting me. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to push my buttons since we’d started talking. It was best to just ignore her.

“I’d better go. Give the rats my regards.” I said, standing and dusting my jeans off.

“There aren’t any.” She said bitterly, “I checked.”

I left, and returned to the large house we'd basically taken as our own. The woman who'd lived there gave us entry to the house and,  _coincidentally_ , disappeared with no other relatives for ownership of the house to be transferred to. That worked out quite well for us. 

For some reason, I just felt drained of energy. This whole situation was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be. I wanted to be done with the doppelganger troubles and just get back to my life.

“I’m taking a nap.” I called as I walked through the door and promptly threw myself on the bed in the guest room I’d claimed. I wasn’t sure where Elijah was in the house, but I hoped he would have the sense to leave me alone for now. I managed to avoid interaction for nearly the entire next day, until that evening, when my cellphone rang. Klaus was calling.

“When are you coming to Mystic Falls?” I asked when I answered the phone. After all, there was never a dull moment when he was around. This was one of his few redeeming qualities.

“A few days’ time. I suppose it will be necessary, considering you’ve been having…troubles with getting things in order.”

“Minor hiccups. The doppelganger wants to cooperate though.”

“But her friends have other plans, yes? Elijah’s been keeping me up-to-date. Listen, this Elena girl has gone out of town to a lake house with that irritating Stefan Salvatore. I need you to keep an eye on them while Elijah is occupied with other matters tonight.”

“What  _other matters_?” I asked, suspicious.

“Nothing you need to worry about. Don’t go getting involved. Do as you’re told. Bye now.” The line went dead and I groaned in frustration. Seconds later, he sent me a text with the location. I tried to call Elijah repeatedly and received no answer.

 Fine. I’d do as told. As always.

I made it to the lake house easily and stood amongst the trees, watching. It occurred to me that the reason I hadn’t been bothered with Elijah was obvious. He had been busy taking care of things without me.

I ran to the front porch and sat against the side of the house by the door. They were talking about Stefan’s days as a ripper, and his “detox” period. This bored me. I tuned them out for a while until the topic changed to the Original vampires…and how to kill them.

“I wonder if this is true, I mean, do you think this dagger actually exists?”

“I know it does…because John gave it to Damon.”

“John gave Damon a weapon that’s supposed to kill Elijah?” I said straight up at these words, suddenly very, very alert.

I frantically dialed Elijah. He needed to know what he was getting into. I called about 20 times and received no answer. “Pick up, pick up, pick up.” I whispered, dialing again.

I heard them inside again, also slightly panicked, “Damon is planning to kill Elijah. Tonight.” They called someone else, explained that vampires couldn’t use the dagger on originals, and I was running out of time. They were already working on a back up plan.

I called Klaus and received no answer there either.

“Damn it.” I hissed, just a little too loudly.

“What was that?” I heard Stefan say from inside. I clapped a hand over my mouth. The door open and I sped to the edge of the porch.

“What are you doing-”

“You’d better hope for your sakes you get him on the first try.” I said darkly, I lunged for him but he stepped back into the house. I stood and backed up again.

“What’s going on?” Elena said as she appeared.

“Elena, stay in the house.” Stefan said.

“If he dies, you’ll pay. I’ll see to it myself.” I growled. Stefan and I stared coldly at each other for a moment, but I realized I was wasting time. I had to find Elijah before anything happened to him.

I fled the lake house, heading back towards down as fast my feet would carry me. I could make it, I knew I could.

_ April 3, 2010 _

_ Salvatore Boarding House _

_ Elijah _

I woke, inhaling sharply, and my hands instantly went to my chest. The idiots had pulled the dagger out. Still, they betrayed my trust once again. They would all die soon. But first things first.

I quietly made it to the ground floor, where I found Damon Salvatore hanging up his phone and obviously preparing to rush downstairs with the dagger. He was a bit too late, unfortunately. 

I snapped his neck and ran with his body to the house we were staying in. Working quickly, I bound him with vervain ropes and stashed his body in the basement so that I could deal with him later. I snapped a picture before leaving, just in case proof was in order.

Now to find Elena.

Hopefully Ellie would still be there, but I worried that if Elena and Stefan were in on this plan, she would have panicked and ran off. When I reached the lake house, my suspicions were confirmed.

I couldn’t worry just yet. I had to focus. Ellie could handle herself.

I picked up a handful of rocks. I could hear their muffled voices inside. I launched the rocks at the door, sending it flying off the hinges. There was quiet for a moment.

“You know, I might not be able to enter this house...But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out.” I said calmly, stepping up onto the porch. Elena appeared in the doorway.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know they were going to do that.” She said, her voice shaking.

“The deal is off.” I said sharply. I had grown very tired of playing around with these insolent children. 

“I’m renegotiating, then."

“I’m not. Come quietly. Now. And maybe I’ll let a few of your friends live.”

She pulled out a knife, holding it to her stomach.

“Don’t be reckless.” I warned.

“I’ll be no use to you if I’m dead. Leave my friends alone.”

I was tired of this. “Go ahead. Do it. I already have your friend, Damon. I’ll see that he dies a slow, painful death. I have quite a bit of a score to settle. Come with me, and maybe I’ll allow Stefan here to live.” I said with a smile. She dropped the knife.

“Elena, no.” Stefan said anxiously, “He could be lying.”

I pulled my phone out, and showed her the picture of Damon’s unconscious body bound and gagged on the basement floor. She gasped.

“Please don’t hurt him.” She begged, and then she turned to Stefan, “I’m sorry. I can’t let anyone die because of me. Please, just stay here.”

Even though I had made no promises to keep him alive, she crossed over the barrier, and that was all the time I needed. I grabbed her and sped off into the night, ignoring Stefan’s furious screams. I stopped briefly to take her phone from her and toss it to the ground.

I arrived at the house and set Elena down in one of the bedrooms. I ripped the vervain necklace off of her yet again.

“You’re going to stay here, in this room. You will not harm yourself.” I compelled her. She looked at me with contempt. I wasn’t bothered.

“Right then. Things are finally starting to turn around, and I can see to my next order of business. I have about 40 missed calls from my daughter.” I said, picking up my phone and dialing. There was no answer. “Tell me, Elena, why give a child a phone if she _isn’t going to answer it?_ ” Elena did not appear to have an answer for me.

 _It’s fine, she’s probably just looking for me._ I resisted the urge to panic, but I already had a sinking feeling that something awful had happened. Luckily, I had plenty to bargain with. 

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

I arrived at the Salvatore boarding house, knowing I was probably too late. The house was empty. I picked up a vase and chucked it at the wall. I checked every part of the house, and found no trace of anyone. Maybe he got away after all? Or they just moved him. I stood in the kitchen, defeated. I would have to go back to our current home, call Klaus, and just figure all this out.

“Well, isn’t this convenient?” I heard a voice behind me say. Before I could react, I felt a sharp pain my side. I lost consciousness as a large amount of vervain entered my blood stream.

I woke, disoriented, a while later. I realized I was in a cell. The flashbacks were beginning and I slammed my body against the door. It didn’t budge.

“Good, you’re awake.” I heard Stefan’s voice outside the cell. I peered out the small window to see him standing in the darkness, “We have a phone call to make.” He was holding my cell phone.

I backed away from the window, against the far wall. He placed the phone on speaker phone and I waited. I almost didn’t want there to be an answer. I had immensely let Elijah down.

He did answer, though.

“Ellie,  _where are you_? You have to get back right-” I heard his voice full of urgency.

“Hello, Elijah,” Stefan cut him off, “How are Elena and Damon?”

“Where is she?” Elijah hissed, “I swear, for your sake, she’d better be alive.”

“Oh, she’s alive.” He looked through the window at me, “I’m looking right at her. Ellie, right? Would you like to say hi?”

I glared at him silently.

“No? Okay, hang on.” He stuck something through the bars and then I screamed as a wooden bullet pierced my arm. Amidst my screams, Elijah was making threats against everyone and everything Stefan could possibly care about.

“Listen to me. I’m not proud of this, but I  _will_ kill her.” Stefan warned, “Give me back my brother. Give me back Elena. Call me when you come to a decision.” He hung up the phone. I ripped the bullet out of my arm and cried out again. The cell felt like it was closing in on me. I couldn’t think straight. I was suddenly that scared little girl in the cellar, all those years ago. I cried out for my parents, begging them not to do this to me. I vaguely registered Stefan looking at me through the bars. The contempt had been replaced with a look of uncertainty. He didn’t know what to make of this.

“No, no, no, no. Mama, papa…please.” I cried. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t survive this again, “Just kill me, please.”

_ Damon _

“Alright, wake up now.” Someone was saying, removing the gag from my mouth, “Come on, Salvatore, your assistance is unfortunately necessary.” It was Elijah. He sat me up, not removing the burning ropes from my wrists or ankles though.

“Go to hell.” I said as he came into focus. A straw was pushed against my mouth and I smelled blood. A blood bag. Instinctively, I drank. He pulled it away before I could get more than a few sips.

“That’s enough for now. Hello Damon. What a joy it is to finally properly meet.” Elijah bent down so we were eye level. He did not sound particularly joyful at all. “Now here’s the situation I’m in. Klaus happens to be on his way and I’m sure he’ll rip your brother apart soon enough. But I need to get my daughter back before Stefan does anything stupid.”

“And why would I help you do that?” I hissed. The vervain ropes dug into my wrists as I continued to work at them.

“Oh, because I get the feeling you’re going to want to help. And I’ll allow you that privilege, provided you follow my instructions to the letter.”

I only stared back in defiance. At the moment, there was nothing he could say that mattered. We both knew he wasn’t going to give up Elena.

 “Let me tell you a little bit about my daughter. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the rumors that she too is an original. Naturally, not everyone believes that, and that’s fine. They just need to believe it’s  _possible._ But I’m going to let you in on a secret.” He looked me in the eye, “She’s not, actually.”

“Well, we figured as much. Even Katherine had never heard of her. So what? She’s easier to kill.” I said casually. Alaric had done the research, and it was strange enough that there was no mention of a daughter until the last 100 years or so. It already hadn’t been adding up.

“She is, and that’s why I generally keep her pretty close. I made a mistake tonight, unfortunately. I thought she was ready. I’ll know better from now on, though I imagine she won’t be happy with me.” He smiled, shaking his head, “Kids, though. What can you do? Anyway, I’m not done with the story yet! Let me tell you how I met her. It was the 1950’s, I believe? Yes, sometime in 1954. Some people think I turned her. But I didn’t. No, she was already a vampire when I met her. The clever little thing had compelled her way onto a plan to France, and I happened to be on that plane. Air travel had really been gaining popularity in that time, and I was rather curious.”

It was slowly started to make sense. The real reason he was taking the time to tell me all of this. I kept my face blank. It couldn’t be possible.

He only smiled politely in return, “I’m not finished, Damon. You see, at that time, I was merely concerned that a volatile young teenager with a thirst for blood was going to be let loose in the city I planned to stay in. I couldn’t have that. So I more or less…persuaded her to stay with me, so I could keep an eye on her. I found out all about her harrowing start to life. Did you know she nearly died in…1917, I think? A mysterious vampire graciously saved her life, and saved her again months later because her foolish family kept her caged like an animal. Yes, I believe she finally felt she had found someone she could call her family. At least, she felt that way until 1953, when she was abandoned in New Orleans. It was quite a difficult time for her.”

I could barely breathe. After all these years, she was right here in Mystic Falls? What were the odds that she would run into  _Elijah,_ of all people? I hadn’t allowed myself to remember Ellie for years. Even when I flipped the switch on my humanity back on, I couldn’t bring myself to seek her out.

 “The vampire she trusted most disappeared without a trace.” The sentence sent waves of guilt through me, “But no need to worry, Damon. As you can see, I found her. I fixed everything. She has no recollection of you leaving her. She has no recollection of you, period. It’s better that way.”

I struggled against the bonds more intensely now, and screamed, “You had no right!”

“It was necessary. You know, I didn’t want to for the longest time, despite Klaus’s insistence. But then we came to Mystic Falls, and I discovered  _you_ were involved with the doppelganger. I couldn’t take any risks.”

“You mean you didn’t want to find out if Ellie would leave your family for me.” I spat, “So you compelled me out of her memory completely. That’s not a family. That’s a lie.”

“She’s stronger now and so much better off. Klaus and I have put a lot of work into ensuring that.” He replied, calm as ever.

“So you made her into a monster like you.” I felt sick at the thought. They turned her into one of them.

“What’s that saying? Pot. Kettle. You get the idea. You have no room to talk.” Elijah argued. He was right; I set her down that path.

“So, Damon, you now know that your brother, Stefan, has my dear Eloise captive. And I imagine you know where she might be. If I don’t get her back, this whole town can burn as far as I care.”

For the first time, I realized Elijah and I might be on the same side…on just this one issue. I thought of her in one of the cells in the Salvatore house and shuddered. This wasn’t good.

“I know where he’d be keeping her.” I replied grimly. “She can’t stay in a place like that. What do you want from me?”

“Excellent. I knew you’d see it my way. Now you see, I already have Elena in my possession, and I’m willing to keep my word that no harm will come to her. If any of you would have  _patience_  for more than 5 minutes, you would know that I may be able to procure an elixir to bring her back after the sacrifice. I will give it to her, if you do as I say. Go and get Eloise, and bring her directly back here. Do not say anything to her about what we’ve talked about today, do not contact your little witch friend to try and bring her memory back, just bring her to me. I just might let you live if you manage to do this one thing for me. Elena will be staying here with me, since the full moon is still a few weeks away and you and the rest of your little gang have proven you can’t follow directions.”

“Can I see Elena before I go?”

“Make it quick. I’m not in a generous mood.”

He untied my legs, while leaving my hands bound behind my back. I stood with some difficulty, weakened by the vervain. I had no idea how I would find a way out of this one. But I did know that I had to get Ellie out, even if she didn’t remember me. I owed her that much.

We went upstairs to the room where Elena was being kept I entered the room and she ran to hug me immediately. That’s when she saw that my hands were bound together and the skin touching the ropes was an angry shade of red. “Oh, Damon. I’m so sorry.” She whispered.

“It’s nothing. Just a scratch.” I played it cool, and she saw through me. She always could, “Listen. I have to do something for Elijah before he lets me go. Stefan has…his…his daughter, and I’ve got to get her back. He said if I do so, he may have found a way for you to survive the ritual. But he wants you to stay here.”

“I just want everyone safe.” She said, barely above a whisper, “Please just…keep yourself safe. Tell everyone else to do the same. Stop worrying about me.”

She hugged me again, and I took that moment to breathe in her scent, praying that Elijah was being truthful. She was an idiot if she thought we would all just let this happen to her. But I couldn’t worry about that now.

I left the room, and Elijah freed my hands and handed me a glass of blood, which I immediately gulped down, and told me, “Hurry back.”

I was out of the house in a flash and headed towards the Salvatore house. Someday, I hoped to be rid of that place for good.

“Where is she?” I yelled as I made my entrance. Stefan, Alaric, and Caroline were all there.

“Oh my god, Damon!” Caroline gasped, “He released you?”

“On the condition that I retrieve the girl for him.” I said, hardly even stopping. I had to get downstairs.

“No! What about Elena? He has to give her up too.” Stefan said, blocking the stairs to the basement. I shoved him to the side and snarled.

“He has given me his word that Elena will be fine. He’s found a way to revive her after the ritual. But I _have_ to get Ellie—I mean, Eloise—out of there.” I did not mention that Elena would have to stay with Elijah. They would never let me do this if they knew. I had no idea how I was going to explain my actions later. I raced down the stairs, determined not to waste any time. I hurriedly unlocked the cell and threw the door open.

There she was.

Curled up in the corner, with her face buried against her knees, was the same girl I remembered saving nearly 100 years ago. She was sobbing quietly, her entire body shuddering with each breath. I braced myself, knowing she would only see me as a stranger.

“Eloise?” I said softly, “I’m going to…take you home. To Elijah.”

She lifted her head, and eyed me suspiciously.

“Why would you do that? You’d lose your leverage.” The response was far too coldly logical for someone in her situation. It didn’t match her face or body language at the moment at all, as if she had detached herself from what was going on…only for a moment. So she could tell me I was doing a hostage negotiation all wrong?

“It’s already been discussed. Come on, let’s get you out of here.” But she still didn’t budge. She stayed huddled in the corner, shaking from anxiety. Not knowing what else to do, I slowly approached her. I felt as though I were approaching a wild animal, waiting for her to panic and lash out. She didn’t though. I picked her up without a second thought and carried her out of the cell. Her phone lay on the ground nearby and I scooped it up and offered it to her. She accepted it, but didn’t really seem to process anything happening.

“He’s going to release Elena when you bring the girl back, right?” Stefan stopped me before I could make it out the front door.

“He’s going to release her.” I said, and this was not a lie. Elijah would release her after the ritual.

Outside, I realized that morning would be approaching soon. I glanced down at her hand and saw that same daylight ring, the one I’d bribed a witch for ages ago, was on her finger. Except now she probably thought Elijah gave it to her.

She seemed to relax when we got out of the house. “Are you okay to stand?” I asked her. She nodded, and I let her down.

She looked at me cautiously, and back at the house. “I can handle it from here.” She said quietly, “I should have been able to escape on my own. I don’t need an escort.”

“Elijah has required that I personally return you to him.” I said. “So if you don’t mind the company…I kind of have to go with you. He doesn’t seem like a person I really want to piss off anymore today.”

“You’re correct. But can we just walk? I’m not in a hurry.” She wrung her hands nervously, “The shame and all that. I’m not ready to face him yet.”

I nodded, though a part of me wanted to just get it over with. It felt like a kind of psychological torture to have to spend time with her, while she saw me as a complete stranger. Maybe that was Elijah’s intention.

Her phone rang and she looked at the screen and winced. “It’s Klaus,” she said, and put the phone up to her ear. I didn’t even hear him get a word out before she started in on him, “I tried to call you  _and_ Elijah dozens of times and  _neither_ of you picked up. No, let me finish! I could have prevented all of this had you answered your damn phone.”

I caught him saying something about paying attention to her surroundings but she cut him off again. “It wouldn’t have happened if anyone had bothered to answer. I tried to warn you both.”

She clicked the phone off, shoved it in her pocket, and marched on. There was something strangely satisfying about watching her totally shut down Klaus, the big scary original vampire that everyone feared.

The confrontation with Klaus seemed to have revitalized her. The time spent in the cell was quickly forgotten now that she had a new issue to focus her anger on.

“Well, you’ve made a quick recovery.” I noted, “What was all that about?”

“Just my  _uncle Klaus_ feeling the need to point out all of the mistakes I’ve made after the absolutely horrible night I’ve had.” She grumbled, and then sighed, “He’s not wrong. I just don’t want to think about it right now. If I hadn’t gone and gotten myself capture, he wouldn’t have had to release  _you._ ”

“Well, in that case, I am personally thrilled that you went and got yourself captured.” The dry humor came out before I could stop it. I had to remember she wasn’t the girl I knew anymore.  But she did actually laugh, just a bit.

“Sorry. It’s just…the way it is. But anyway, I still maintain I could have prevented the whole thing if they had just listened to me. They constantly treat me like a child. I don’t need to be…coddled.” She kicked a rock, rather aggressively, and it left a sizeable hole in a tree. “And I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I don’t even know you. I’ll have to ask Elijah to compel you-”

“Because you can’t compel vampires, right?”

She stopped and spun to face me. “It’s not that. It’s…”

“Relax. Elijah let me in on the secret. And if he doesn’t kill me there’s a good chance he’ll compel me to forget.” She frowned in confusion.

“Why would he tell you any of that?”

“I’m still asking myself why that man does anything. And right now, I’m just the delivery boy.” I said. She didn’t say anything else.

_ Ellie _

We walked in silence the rest of the way, but I kept stealing glances. He was strange, and kept speaking to me as if we were friends. At the same time, I kept getting too comfortable. I reminded myself that he was not a friend, and he could not be trusted. He would probably kill me in an instant if it meant he could get the doppelganger back.

We arrived at the house and I pushed the door open, with Damon following behind. I heard the click of an arrow leaving a crossbow, and instinctively I threw myself to the floor while yelling “Duck!” at Damon. He followed suit, and a metal arrow hit the door where my chest would have been. Klaus was at the top of the stairs, holding the empty crossbow.

“What the hell?” Damon said, stunned by the random assault. He looked at the placement of the arrow and quickly did the math. “Wait, he was aiming for  _you?”_

Klaus sped down the stairs and stood directly in front of us. “It was only metal. Tell me, Eloise, where was that quick reaction right before you got vervained and locked in a basement?”

“Where were _you_ when I was trying to warn you of their plan to kill Elijah?” she fired back.

 “You’re shooting arrows at her after what she’s been through?” Damon asked, incredulously. I looked at him, kind of startled. Why would he care?

Klaus grabbed him by the throat and pulled him closer.

“I don’t know if Elijah fully explained your role to you, Salvatore. But anything concerning Eloise is  _none of your business_  from this point on. You’ve played your part. You can stand down now.” He released Damon, “Lovely to meet you. The name is Niklaus but please, call me Klaus.”

He pushed Damon aside so that we were face to face. I refused to back down, “I was trying to help, Klaus. I wouldn’t have even gone there if anyone had listened to me.” We locked eyes and I held my ground. I swear this would be the reason he’d kill me someday. I could never just let anything go.

His face softened, “Well, despite your incompetence, I’m glad you didn’t die. Elijah would have been insufferable.”

My rage began to melt. This was genuinely his only way have expressing that he cared.  I hugged him suddenly.

“I missed you.” I whispered, and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. I could use the extra company.” He put his arms around me, and I vaguely noticed Damon tense up beside me. I looked up, and Klaus was smiling at Damon in a way that seemed…smug?

“Damon, your services are no longer needed. We’ll be in touch.” I heard Elijah say from the stairs, “Elena will be looked after. Damon looked from Klaus to Elijah, with a murderous glint in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’d really hate to overstay my welcome.” Damon said. He turned to leave but then looked back at Elijah one last time, “I’ll find a way to reverse what you’ve done. I don’t care how long it takes.”

The silence that followed his departure was unnerving. More than ever, I felt like there was a big secret I was being left out of. Something was going on.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the day of the sacrifice finally arrives! I ended up not fully re-hashing the whole moonstone ritual, as we all pretty much know how that goes. I kept it relatively the same as the show too, just changed the events that led up to who died/didn't die.  
> revised 12/19/18

_ April 7, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Elijah _

Jonas would be arriving soon, and I paced the foyer anxiously. I’d only been daggered briefly, but it was enough to undo the compulsion Katherine was under. We discovered she’d fled as soon as she realized she could. So I was wary of the affects it could have on Eloise. Jonas assured me that there would be no ill-effects, and so far she seemed completely fine, but there was still that inkling of doubt. I had already made the mistake this past week of leaving things to chance. That would not happen again.

I needed Jonas to just make sure everything was still holding strong. With the vervain now out of her system, it would be easy to do so and simply have her forget.

Yes, the lies and deception were building up. I was acutely aware of that fact, but I felt there was no going back right now. I had to see this through.

I compelled Ellie to sit patiently while Jonas put his hands up on either side of her head and whispered a spell over and over for a moment.

“It seems to have held.” He said at last, “I did what I could to strengthen it, just in case. You’d need to be dead for a long time for it to really break down.”

“Klaus said she tried to protect Damon when he fired the crossbow at them. She told him to duck.” I said, still feeling uneasy.

“Listen, there’s only so far this will go. The memories are gone, unless you say otherwise, but the emotions may still linger. So yes, she may feel the need to protect him but she won’t understand why. I can’t make that go away.”

“We’ll just need to continue to keep him at a distance then.” I murmured.

“You gonna…uh, un-compel her now?” Jonas asked, looking at Ellie who still had a blank expression on her face.

“Ah yes, of course. But you’re free to go, Jonas, thank you for your time.” I turned back to Ellie, “You may continue with your day. Once Jonas walks out that door, you’ll forget everything he and I discussed and everything that just happened.”

She blinked and looked around just as the door closed behind Lucas. “Sorry, were you saying something?”

“Just that Klaus would like to continue your training. We’ve slacked off the past few months. We can’t afford any more mistakes with full moon so close.”

“Oh. Of course.” She said, appearing to be lost in thought for a moment. She glanced up at me and then began hesitantly, “I think I’ll just…stay in the house anyway though.”

“That’s not like you at all.” I said, “Not that I’m objecting.”

“Getting caught, thrown in a cell, and having my life threatened was a bit too much excitement.” She smiled weakly. “That, and being a major disappointment in general.”

“You’re not a disappointment at all. You know I don’t feel that way.” I said, comforting her. I regretted ever coming to this town, and agreeing to help Klaus with this blasted curse. “Why don’t you check on the doppelganger for me? I’ve got some errands to make.”

She nodded and headed up the stairs. I felt guilty again, about all we’d had to do since we arrived in Mystic Falls. We’d done so much damage, all in the name of helping Klaus. I’d once promised always and forever, and I hoped deeply that breaking the curse would finally be what Klaus needed to feel whole. Then we could all get back to our lives.

_ Ellie _

I gently pushed open the door, not daring to cross the threshold. I’d been instructed to speak to her from the doorway only. It felt a bit silly, seeing as she was human. But we weren’t about to start taking more risks right now.

The girl, Elena, was sitting on the bed and looked up to see me in the doorway. She folded her arms and glared at me, but she wasn’t like Katherine. Katherine would spout off biting insults and try to get under my skin, even while I tried to help her.

“I’ve been told to check on you. Do you need anything?” I asked her. She didn’t answer right away. I grew impatient, “A yes or no would suffice. I want to go to bed.”

“I’m fine.” She muttered.

“Really? The full moon is still a while away. I know it’s boring in there. Did they put a TV in here like I said? Do you need books or anything? A crossword?” The room was luxurious, complete with a private bathroom, and we made sure she wanted for nothing. But she was still trapped there. It had to be boring.

“Why does it matter? I can’t sit here and watch TV knowing I’m going to die in a couple of weeks.”

“Elijah said he had found a way to bring you back after the ritual.” I reminded her. She raised an eyebrow.

“And you think he’s being honest? Listen I know he’s like, your dad and everything, but he’s still trying to have me sacrificed in a ritual.” She was skeptical, that was understandable considering her situation. But I’d spent decades with Elijah, and he’d never once lied to me.

“If he said he’s found a way, he’s found a way. Trust him.” She got up from the bed and came to the doorway. I stepped back automatically, and felt foolish. She couldn’t hurt me, I knew that. But after everything, maybe I shouldn’t underestimate these Mystic Falls people.

“Do you? Trust him?” she asked.

“I trust him with my life. He’s never lied to me. Why would he start now?” And then for some reason, as I was saying that, I felt doubt tugging at my mind. It felt like there was something I’d forgotten, something important. I brushed it off. Elijah doesn’t lie, he’s just careful with the way he words things.

“He told me he  _might_  let my friends live.”

“He might. They need to stop interfering though. That’d probably earn them some brownie points.”

“So you’re okay with…all of this? No offense,” she laughed slightly, “but you don’t really seem like…them.”

“I…I’m doing it for the same reasons your friends and family are so adamant on trying to stop this sacrifice. I stand by my family.” She didn’t anything but the look on her face told me she understood this. I did feel bad for her. No one wants to lose the people they love. “Listen, as long as they just stop, there’s a chance. I know they’re decent people. Your friend…Damon, right? He brought me back when he could have just disappeared. He could have just left me there. I still don’t understand that.”

“Well I think that’s enough chitchat for today.” Klaus said, appearing behind me. Elena backed further into her room. He smiled and waved to her, “Hello, Elena. We really do appreciate your cooperation. But be a dear and try not to be a corrupting influence.”

He reached over me and closed the door. “You were told to check on her. Not to stand around gossiping.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Elijah’s gone out. Come.” He didn’t give me a chance to comply, and instead grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall. I was taken aback. This behavior came out of nowhere.

“What’s wrong with you?” I said at last, once he threw me into a chair, “I haven’t done anything!”

“I…am  _so close_  to breaking this curse.” He hissed. I blinked, startled by the wild, desperate rage in his eyes. I’d seen him angry, but not like this. I shrank back in my chair. Klaus was always moody, but this was different. “I will not let anything or  _anyone_  stand in the way of it.”

“What are you talking about?” I said, frightened, “I’ve only been trying to help you.”

“Yes, by disobeying direct orders and nearly getting yourself killed so we had to release a hostage to retrieve you.” He leaned forward, “So helpful.”

“Then you could have just left me there!” I yelled, tears falling down my cheeks now.

“No.  _Elijah_  could have just left you there. He didn’t, luckily for you. I probably would have.”

That didn’t surprise me, but hearing it out loud hurt all the same.

“It’s done. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m fine staying here in the house.” I looked down at my lap, feeling the shame build up.

It didn’t matter that I was trying to help. I failed and that thought haunted me daily. Klaus grabbed my chin and forced me to look back up.

“I’ve only ever tried to help you, Klaus.” I told him honestly. That snapped him out of his mania for just a moment, and he nodded

“I know. I know. But I can’t afford to take any risks.” I knew he was about to compel me, and I didn’t bother trying to fight him. Maybe if I just went along with it, he’d have faith in me. “You will not speak to anyone besides myself or Elijah, under any circumstances. You will not leave this house. You will be unable to speak of this moment to Elijah.” He commanded.

“I hardly speak to anyone else, anyway.” I shot back, “You’ve always made sure of that.”

“So this shouldn’t be difficult for you at all then.” He smiled. He tossed me a handkerchief to dry my tears and started to leave.

“Klaus…?” I started slowly.

“What now?” he sighed irritably, but not turning to face me.

“Once you break this curse, and unlock your werewolf side, will things go back the way they were? Will things be normal again?” I don’t know what I expected him to say. I already knew there was no chance of him reassuring me that everything would be fine and we’d all live happily ever after when this was all over.

Klaus paused for a moment, but he didn’t turn back around. “When have our lives ever been normal?” he asked, and left the room.

I told myself he was just on edge while we waited to break the curse. I could wait this out.

_ April 10th _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Damon _

Basically, no one was speaking to me. I’d left Elena with Klaus, with no explanation other than Elijah’s mystery elixir that was supposed to bring her back to life. I had no proof of said elixir, and no good excuses for why I exchanged our own hostage because I certainly wasn’t going to tell them the truth. I still needed time to wrap my head around the truth.

The house Elena was being kept at had a barrier spell around it, so none of us were able to get in. Bonnie seemed to be searching for a solution day and night. I mostly just drank day and night and tried to forget about the mess I’d gotten us in.

Ellie didn’t remember me. However, I knew there was still some subconscious recognition there. She was comfortable instantly when I found her. She looked out for me when Klaus fired the arrow at us. Something was there, which meant there was still some hope. I wanted to just find Bonnie and threaten her into helping me, but Elena was the priority now.

Stefan came through the door and looked at me with disgust before ignoring me entirely.

“Love you too, brother!” I called over my shoulder as he passed by. I was used to people hating me. He could drag this out as long as he needed to.

Elijah had been in touch periodically. A couple of days ago he insisted on meeting me in the god damn middle of nowhere to properly thank me for my assistance as well as remind me to stay away. Standing in the woods, miles outside of town, all I really wanted to do was drive several dozen stakes through him. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would get the message across. And it’d be therapeutic.

“You know, I meant what I said, Damon. I will see to it that Elena survives this.” Elijah said.

“You could have said that from the beginning. Why bring this magic elixir into play now?”

“Well if you must know, in the beginning I didn’t particularly care. Elena was going to cooperate either way. It’s you lot that are causing all the problems.” He shook his head, “So I saved that piece of information for when I really thought I would need it. And even though it is  _ultimately_  your fault my daughter-”

“She’s not your  _daughter_ , Elijah.” I interrupted bitterly.

He chose to ignore my outburst and continued which only infuriated me more, “As I was saying, it’s your fault she was captured due to your failed attempt on my life. But you corrected that mistake and for that I am grateful.”

“I didn’t do it for you.” I growled.

“I’m well aware. You have my gratitude all the same. I’m repaying you by ensuring Elena lives. After the ritual, we will be even. You will go about your business and stay far, far away from my family.” He held out his hand to me, and we shook. He vanished after that. His mistake was thinking I was any bit as honorable as he pretended to be.

_ April 28, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

“Did you  _really_  have to take the aunt though, Klaus?” Elijah asked as we prepared to go to the site of the ritual. The past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind as we prepared for the ritual and seemingly endless list of people in Elena’s life tried to foil it left and right, down to the very last day.

“I told you they would try to screw things up with our other vampire and werewolf, and I was right. Damon Salvatore broke them out. And they killed Jonas, which is just  _lovely._ ” Klaus said through gritted teeth, “Always have a back-up plan. The aunt will transition, and we have the wolf girl, so all will go according to plan.”

“Jenna is on Elena’s list of people she wants safe…” Elijah carefully reminded him.

“Well, it’s not my fault Elena’s list includes about half the people in Mystic Falls. And we have no obligations to that deal anyway. Not after the trouble I’ve had to go through the past few days. You’re not giving her that elixir either. I’ve already destroyed it. I won’t take any chances on this ritual being botched.”

“Klaus…I gave my word. She cooperated.” Elijah was stunned Klaus would suddenly take things to this level. So was I, but I didn’t interject. Klaus’s temperament had been all over the place lately. I stayed quiet when he was around.

“Yes, but I never gave mine. She’s just a human girl, Elijah. Let’s not go through this argument again.”

A silence fell over the living room, and the tension in the air was heavy and suffocating.

“Klaus…” Elijah began in a low voice, “I believe Eloise and I will need to part ways with you for now. We will return after you’ve broken the curse and had some time to return to your senses.”

He beckoned for me to come, and I was still compelled not to tell him what Klaus had done. In a futile effort, I got up and followed him to the doorway, which I was unable to cross. It didn’t take Elijah long to put it together.

“Klaus, revoke the compulsion.” Elijah said impatiently, “We’re leaving.”

Klaus did not move from his chair. “No…I don’t think I will.”

“You can’t be serious. Niklaus, you’re letting this curse cloud your judgment…”

“No, I’m ensuring nothing gets in my way this time. You’re free to leave, brother. She will be safe, you can rest assured, so long as you don’t interfere with my plans.” The threat was clear, and I couldn’t believe it had really just happened. It was as though he’d planned for this. He was always one step ahead of everyone.

I looked desperately at Elijah. He couldn’t leave. He would never leave me here while Klaus was like this.

“You will be fine, Ellie.” His words were a crushing blow, “Because I’m not going to jeopardize this ritual at all. I just need to speak to Elena’s friends and give them my apologies.” While Klaus was still seated and slightly turned away from us, he knelt down and mouthed the words  _“I’ll explain later.”_ I nodded, but still didn’t feel any better.

“Apologies had better be all you’re doing.” Klaus said darkly.

“What on earth could I be doing?” Elijah snapped, “We are mere hours away the start of this ritual. What could they possibly accomplish? Do you hear yourself sometimes?”

In a flash, Klaus was up and standing behind me. He grabbed me and pulled me to his chest with one arm, and produced a wooden stake in the other hand. He reached around and pointed the stake at my heart. “Are you quite finished?” Klaus asked Elijah. Elijah took one last look at me and left. Klaus’s grip relaxed and he tossed the stake away.

“Just a few more hours.” He said, stepping away, “Then we can all get out of this town.”

It was becoming quite clear that Mystic Falls was not the problem. I wouldn’t dare say that out loud though. Klaus had always been a control freak, but his paranoia had pushed that to new levels. I eyed him warily.

“Listen, don’t look at me like that.” Klaus said to me suddenly. He placed his hands on my shoulders, I tensed automatically, and he looked me in the eyes. “Once I unlock my werewolf side…I’ll be unstoppable. No one will cross our family ever again.”

It wasn’t the outside threats that concerned me.

_ Elijah _

I had to trust that she would be fine. This whole ordeal was driving him mad, but I had to believe that the brother I knew was still there somewhere. He wouldn’t actually harm her.

Standing in front of Bonnie Bennett’s house, I hesitated. I would have to tell them the elixir was no longer an option. I had no other options, but if I came forward…she would have at least a chance at figuring something out. I braced myself for her impending rage.

I knocked on the door and a moment later, the witch opened it and regarded me suspiciously.

“What do you want?” she asked, “Forgive me, but I’m not about to invite you in.”

“Not necessary. I have some disconcerting news about the…sacrifice.” I began, and her eyes widened. She knew where this was going. “Klaus is…not himself. He destroyed the elixir. He’s convinced that the ritual won’t work if she’s revived.”

“No…” Her eyes filled with fear and rage at once, “Elijah, you promised.”

“Yes, I did, and I’m truly sorry that I cannot fulfill my end of the bargain. That’s why I’m here to apologize and give you a chance to find another way. There’s nothing I can do right now, Bonnie. I can’t stop him, he’s planned for that possibility. Elena’s life is not the only one in danger right now.”

Her face softened, though she had not forgiven me, “You’re risking a lot coming here, aren’t you?”

“He has her…” I whispered, “I never thought he would go this far. Listen, if you find a way, and I hope that you do, he can never know. He can’t know that I told you.”

I left before she could respond. I had to get back and see if Klaus had left the house yet, and if he would be taking Eloise with him. The doppelganger and all other pieces to the ritual besides Klaus and the moonstone would be at the site already.

I watched from the trees as the door opened, and Klaus came out, with Eloise following. I swore silently. I’d hoped he’d leave her home, but he probably didn’t want to risk leaving her exposed to any threats. I’d have to be in attendance at this ritual after all.

I made a split decision to come out of hiding, and try one last time to make him see reason.

_ Ellie _

“Klaus, wait.” I heard Elijah call behind us. Both Klaus and I turned around and saw him catch up to us.

“Oh, you’ve decided to witness my victory after all, brother.” Klaus smiled.

“I wish you well, Klaus. But I unfortunately stand by what I said. Ellie and I will return when this is all over with.” He said tensely. I looked at Klaus, already knowing this was a lost cause.

“She’s been compelled to stay at my side until I complete my transformation. At that point, she will be free to go and you both may do as you please.”

He’d explained this to me earlier, even though I protested to having to watch him go through the transformation. He had quickly become consumed with the idea that Elijah might try to cross him and this was his security measure.

“Klaus, I won’t interfere. I want no part of this anymore. Let us  _leave.”_

“You’re perfectly free to leave on your own, Elijah.”

“You know I can’t do that.” Elijah said, stone-faced.

“Yes well, the option is still there. If you’re done bickering, we have a curse to break.”

 After several hours and completely expected interference from the Salvatores, the final moment arrived. Stefan lay temporarily unconscious off to the side, as Klaus bit into the neck of the doppelganger and began to drain the blood from her. I looked away but there was only death surrounding us. The werewolf and vampire Klaus had sacrificed both lay motionless on the ground. I’d known about this, for quite some time, but seeing it all unfold before me was a new horror. Klaus didn’t care at all. Elijah stood at my side, and I clutched his hand.

Klaus dropped the girl’s body to the ground and took a step backwards. “I can feel it.” He growled.

He began to scream and fell to the ground on all fours. The sickening sound of his bones cracking filled the air. In the background, I thought I saw someone pick up Elena’s body and disappear with it. But I was far too distracted by the transformation taking place in front of me. It became too much to bear. I turned and buried my face against Elijah and he held me there on the off chance I would have the urge to look.

Finally, the screaming ceased and I heard a low growl. I managed a peek and saw the enormous wolf watching us. He turned and ran into the darkness. I wasn’t compelled to follow. “It’s done. Let’s go.” Elijah said quietly to me. I looked back into the trees but saw no sign of Klaus’s wolf form anywhere. I didn’t break my grip on Elijah until we were safely out of the woods.

We returned to the house only briefly to pack up our belongings.

“Are we leaving Mystic Falls now?” I asked, and I didn’t need to add  _‘Without Klaus?’_ It was an unspoken fact he would not be coming with us.

“Not yet. We’ll need to stay one more night, as there’s one last thing I need to check up on. I don’t expect Klaus to transform back to his human form right away.”

The sun was beginning to rise now, and the citizens of Mystic Falls had begun going about their business, oblivious to what had taken place over night. I followed Elijah’s lead and we ended up at the Salvatore boarding house. I stifled a groan.

He raised a hand to knock on the door but it opened before he managed, revealing both Salvatore brothers on the other side.

“Good morning, gentlemen…did your witch find a way?”

“She did, no thanks to you.” Damon said menacingly, “John Gilbert, her father, traded his life force for her.”

“I’m glad all is well.” Elijah said, unfazed. This only angered Damon further.

“ _All is well?_  Her aunt is dead. Her father is dead. Half her friends nearly died. But yeah, everything’s just great.”

“We’re leaving town. I expect Klaus will too. I believe Katherine is still at our residence though. I’m not sure of his plans for her, but I’ve decided to leave myself out of it.”

“Katherine?” I asked, surprised, “Since when was she-”

“Well, you wouldn’t remember. You forgot Elena was there too.” Elijah told me, and I sighed as I understood exactly what he meant. In my frustration I accidentally met Damon’s eyes and he seemed just as annoyed by this revelation as I was.

“Elijah?” I heard Elena’s voice behind the brothers, “Come in, both of you. I want to talk.”

“Elena, are you insane?” Damon snapped at her, “He just helped kill you.”

But Elijah stepped across the threshold and I followed. Elena led us into the kitchen and turned to face Elijah and handed him a small silver dagger.

“Thank you…for warning Bonnie about the elixir. You had no reason to do that.” She said, “I’m giving this back to you.”

Elijah put the dagger in his inside coat pocket and kissed her hand, “And thank you, Miss Gilbert. I certainly don’t need this lying around with Klaus in his current temperament.”

“How do we know you won’t tell him she’s alive?” Damon demanded, tired of the pleasantries it seemed.

“Suffice it to say, I saw just how far he was willing to go to get his way last night. I risked a lot by even giving you a chance. He can’t know I told you.” He looked at me and suddenly seemed to make a rapid decision. “While I’m here…where do you keep your vervain?”

“Why, so you can burn it?” Damon asked.

“Quite the opposite. I would like to take some with me. I hear it can be added to tea. And perhaps you have vervain water on hand right now?”

I looked at him, puzzled. What purpose would it serve for us to keep vervain around?

“We do.” Elena said, and reached into the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of water.

“Lovely. Just one small glass, if you don’t mind.”

She looked confused by this, we all were, but Elena poured some into a glass and handed it to Elijah, who then handed it to me.

“I don’t want that.” I said, shoving the glass away.

“Just a few sips a day for now, until you can handle more.” Elijah instructed. I was lost.

“It’ll protect her from compulsion.” Damon said, “Smart. Surprisingly self-sacrificing of you, Elijah.” Elijah simply nodded, and held the glass out to me again.

I grimaced, “I think I’ll just take my chances.”

“No.” Damon and Elijah both said. Stefan, Elena, and I all looked at Damon in mild surprise, and he quickly added, “We can’t take chances with Klaus. Elijah is…right.”

Elijah smiled, “You say that as if it pains you, Damon. Still, I’m glad we can agree on something.” He received only a resentful glare in response. I gave in and picked the glass up, taking the smallest possible sip. The liquid burned all the way down and I hissed in pain.

“One more drink.” Elijah instructed. I obeyed, taking a slightly larger sip this time. It was no better than the first. “You’ll increase your intake each day.”

Damon retrieved vervain plants for us, and a few vials of the water.  Despite the contempt he had for Elijah, he was eager to help with this one task.

“So that’s it then? You’re separating from Klaus for good?” Stefan asked skeptically.

“Not for good, no. One thing I’ve learned over the centuries is how incredibly difficult it is to rid yourself of family. Besides, we still have some quarrels to resolve. But it is my hope that Elena will be a distant memory by the time we reunite.”

“That’s a long time to be alone.” I pondered out loud, surprising myself. “It’s miserable...just having to fend for yourself.” I didn’t know where the words came from. I’d never been alone, had I? Elijah had been by my side for my entire existence as a vampire. This seemed to keep happening here in Mystic Falls. It was as though I was remembering specific emotions, but I had no context to go with them.

“What do you mean by that?” Damon asked, but I had no idea what I meant. Elijah cut in before I could try to reply though.

“But that’s nothing you’ve had to worry about, my dear.” Elijah said to me. I smiled, and shook my head a bit to clear the feeling away. “Don’t worry about Klaus. We both know his goal is to make more hybrids. He won’t be alone.”

“Yes.” I remembered, and felt a small pang of jealousy. Klaus had plans to create a new family. “I remember that now.”

“We should be going. Good luck to you all. Refrain from contacting us unless it’s a dire matter.”

We said our goodbyes and closed the door behind us. Inside, I heard Damon’s voice.

“You know what? Screw it. Who wants to hear a really long, depressing story about-” but then Elijah snatched my hand and we were far from the porch before I could hear him finish.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so Kol and Rebekah both make their appearance now, and I aged Kol down a bit, so he's the youngest Original instead of Rebekah. He always struck me as more childlike and impulsive than Rebekah and I thought it might be interesting to have someone close to Ellie's age (physically) that she could relate to/fight with. 
> 
> Revised 12/19/18

_ April 29, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Damon _

“You know what? Screw it. Who wants to hear a really long, depressing story about the time I was a totally screw up?” I asked, reaching into the cabinet and pulling a bottle of whiskey out. I took a much too long drink. “Well, one of the times.”

“What are you talking about?” Elena asked.

“Hang on.” I downed the bottle. “Okay, much better. So you know how I told you Elijah admitted the Eloise is, in fact,  _not_  an Original?”

“Yeah, but we had already kind of guessed that just by the way they didn’t let her out of their sight. Elijah must have turned some random girl at some point.” Elena said, “What does this have to do with anything?”

“Elijah didn’t turn her. I did. I met her long before she knew Elijah or Klaus.” I allowed a moment for this information to hit them. Stefan was the first to speak.

“Why would you even consider doing that, though?” Stefan asked.

“Because I’m self-centered and her father was growing their town’s supply of vervain. She happened to be dying so I made a deal with the family.” I explained, as if this were a totally obvious thing to do.

I recounted the entire story, from the time I turned her just a few short years after feeling I’d last Stefan for good, until the time I was stupidly tricked into going back to Mystic Falls and ended up being experimented on for five years. And then I told them she had no recollection of me, thanks to the godforsaken original vampires.

“You never told me about Augustine…” Stefan said. He looked horrified. I shrugged. I’d never wanted to burden him with that.

I continued on, because I didn’t want to relive those years at all. “Even though she didn’t remember me, I had to get her out when you guys captured her. I knew she couldn’t handle being back in a place like that again. ” I said, avoiding Stefan and Elena’s eyes. “I know I left Elena in jeopardy to do so.”

“Damon.” Elena said softly, reaching for my hand, “I understand. Anyone would have done the same thing in your shoes, and I’m fine. It all worked out.”

“So now what, though? Are you just going to let Elijah walk away with her?” Stefan asked.

“Of course not. I’m going to talk to Bonnie, and see if she has any witchy ideas.” I said, “Until then, we’re going to leave them alone and keep our distance until Klaus moves on. Klaus can’t know what we did.”

And then I sighed heavily, and rolled my sleeve, revealing a pretty nasty bite I’d received when we got Tyler and Carolyn out of Klaus’s grasp the night of the sacrifice. “Besides, it might be a bit late for all that anyway.”

And then of course, the next day got considerably worse, because I nearly killed a bunch of people in my death spiral and my idiot brother traded his loyalty to Klaus in exchange for the cure…Klaus’s blood.

All I really remember is drinking the vial of Klaus’s blood and Katherine being her usual self, ruining the fact that she’d actually done the right thing for once in her life.

“Where’s Stefan?” Elena asked, worried. Oh well, the attention had been nice while it lasted. Now I knew I just needed to be at death’s door to have her to myself.

“He’s paying for this.” Katherine said cryptically. We both stared at her and she rolled her eyes and continued, “He gave himself over to Klaus. I wouldn’t expect him any time soon.”

“What do you mean ‘gave himself over’?”

“He just sacrificed everything to save his brother, including you. It's a good thing you have Damon to keep you company.” She smirked, “Good-bye, Elena. Oh. It's okay to love them both. I did.”

We looked at each other, and Elena looked as though she wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. I told myself it was probably for the best.

“Great. So Elijah has Eloise and Klaus has Stefan, and I don’t get to die.” I muttered, collapsing back against the pillow.

Elena stayed for a while, still concerned about me. “How are you feeling?” She whispered after we’d laid there for a few hours. We were both exhausted, physically and emotionally. But I kind of didn’t want this to end. Once we left this room, we’d have all of our problems to deal with, including rescuing Stefan.

“I’m better. I know you need to check on everyone else. Classic Elena. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I told her, because I’m a better man now and not selfish, or whatever. She smiled, and kissed my forehead before saying goodbye and going home.

_ May 10, 2010 _

_ Hawaii _

_ Ellie _

“Why are you being so nice? And why do you insist on wearing  _that_ to the beach.” I asked Elijah, as I waded at the water’s edge.  He walked alongside me in slacks and a button up shirt, looking entirely out of place.

“You said to dress comfortably. This is comfortable.” He gave me a rare, lighthearted grin.

“Okay. That’s ridiculous. So answer the other question.” I pressed. “You told me we were going to go ‘back to normal’ but then you took me to Hawaii, and we’ve basically just been doing what I want to do. You haven’t even made me resume my studies. Not that I’m complaining, but…you’re acting weird.”

“You’ve been through a lot.  _I’ve_  personally put you through a lot lately. It’s time for a break.” He paused, looking out at the ocean waves rolling in, “Truthfully, I could use a break too. With Klaus preoccupied, I can relax.”

“You couldn’t before? Even before all this started with breaking the curse?”

“It’s always something with him. I love my brother, but keeping my loyalty to him for centuries has tested my limits.” He told me, as we continued walked down the beach. There was indeed something appealing about living a Klaus-free life. The past few days had been so calm and easy. But still…he seemed to need Elijah. He probably needed Elijah more than I did, truth be told.

“We have to go back to him, eventually.” I said at last, after giving it some thought. “He shouldn’t be alone.”

“He’s out there trying to create hybrids. He’s made it clear he intends to make a new family.” Elijah said this gently, knowing it always upset me to think about it. It was difficult to accept Klaus would just throw us away the moment he had a chance at something he perceived to be better. Well, okay…he had already made it clear that I was disposable, but Elijah had to still mean something to him.

“He’ll come to his senses. We should be there when he does.” I said decisively. Elijah stopped and put an arm around my shoulders.

“My dear Eloise, you are possibly the only truly good thing I’ve had in my life in centuries. If it means that much to you, we will try to get through to Klaus. But let’s just enjoy the peace and quiet for a decade or two.” Elijah had a point and I reluctantly agreed. Mostly because, of the two of us, perhaps he needed the rest the most. Maybe insisting that he was only concerned for my happiness was his excuse to just relax and enjoy life without Klaus’s constant drama.

We ended the day with dinner out, and headed back to our rented beach house for the evening. Elijah had actually offered to let me go out on my own and mingle with the humans, while he kept an eye on me from a short distance, but I still felt uncomfortable straying too far. It seemed like a cruel joke that I could no longer be compelled stay put but now I had all this anxiety about just walking out the front door. Years ago I would have given anything to roam the night by myself and just feel normal and alive. There were days I felt decades older than my physical age. But at the same time there were days where I wanted nothing more than to be a normal teenage girl and just go shopping, talk to boys, and do whatever else normal human girls get to do.

I took my daily dose of vervain, which was beginning to sting just a little bit less. I briefly wished I could ask Elijah to compel away my fear. But I already knew he would only tell me I needed to overcome it on my own, and all that nonsense. I had my doubts that that would happen any time soon.

I left the kitchen and saw Elijah in the living room looking at his phone, with a concerned expression on his face.

 “Is everything okay?” I asked, sitting down beside him.

“My sources say Klaus has already started searching for werewolf packs. Stefan Salvatore is with him.” He frowned. The news surprised me. I’d been wary of Stefan before, but he’d been shockingly normal despite what I heard about him. Not to mention, he was fiercely loyal to Elena…why would he leave? But I think I already knew.

“Klaus forced him.”

“Probably. They say he’s…the ripper again.”

I shuddered. Klaus was capable of getting anything he wanted, whenever he wanted. I wondered if the vervain would really be enough now.

Elijah noticed my discomfort.

“He’s not looking for us, though. He’s too preoccupied with making hybrids.” He reassured me. But there was still the problem of all the innocent lives he would destroy in his search. Klaus had no patience and a short temper. Anyone who stood in his way on this mission would die.

But the selfish part of me was glad I was not a part of any of that. I was in Hawaii, on the beach, and carefree for once.

_ Mid-August  2010 _

_ Chicago _

_ Klaus _

Hours earlier, I’d ripped the dagger out of my dear baby sister’s chest and left very clear instructions for her to meet me at Gloria’s. Clearly, she was just as insolent as always. A few decades in time out didn’t help with that after all. I didn’t have time for games. Gloria insisted Rebekah knew how to contact our mother, and if we did that we might finally shed some light on why I had no luck making hybrids.

“Rebekah...It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are.” I called, stepping around the dead guard on the floor. Her coffin was open, and empty. Finn and Kol were still left untouched. Good. At least she had some sense.

The blonde appeared around the corner and shoved a dagger in my chest. “Go to hell, Nik!” she hissed. I inhaled sharply at the pain and narrowed my eyes at her. I yanked the dagger out and let it fall to the floor.

“Don’t pout. You knew it wouldn’t kill me.”

“Yes, but I hoped it would at least hurt more.” She hissed.

“I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah...So I'm going to let that go. Just this once. Brought you a little peace offering.” I called back over my shoulder to Stefan, who was waiting just outside, “You can come in.”

Her face lit up as she recognized him. “Stefan.” She said softly. He looked completely confused, which made sense. He had no memory of his time with us in the 1920s. I turned and moved towards Stefan and compelled him. “Now, you remember.” I whispered. His eyes widened as the memories returned.

“Rebekah?” he said, as realization came over him. He looked at me too, “Klaus. We were friends…”

“We  _are_  friends, Stefan.”  I said, hoping that bringing back Rebekah and the memories would solidify his loyalty to me. He was only going through the motions right now, and I needed more than that. I looked back at Rebekah, “And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch.”

“The Original witch?” she asked, startled. She reached up to her neck and immediately panicked. “My necklace! Where is it? What have you done with it?” she cried.

“I haven’t touched it. Why? Is it important?”

“ _Yes,_  it’s important. We have to find it if we have any hope of contacting our mother.” Rebekah explained, exasperated. I groaned.

Sometime later, after we’d gone through the mind-numbing ordeal of finding Rebekah something more modern to wear, we went back to Gloria’s so she could attempt to locate the necklace.

“I can sense something.” Gloria said, holding Rebekah’s hand while she tried to focus on the necklace’s location. She closed her eyes and began to chant. “Anta Cotis Syrum, Anta Cotis Syrum...”

A few moments later, she stopped and opened her eyes.

“There’s a girl with her friends…”

“Yes, a dead girl with her dead friends if I don’t get my necklace back.” Rebekah muttered.

“I’ll have to dive back in to get the details.” She flashed an annoyed look, “I need time. And space.”

“We can wait.” I said stubbornly. I did not want to leave here until we had information. I was tired of waiting.

“I’m sure you can, but that’s not what I asked.” She glared at me.

“Hey. Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later. I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat.” Stefan said suddenly, heading for the door. He looked back at us expectantly. I gave in, and followed him out the door. Back at the warehouse, we were all feeding on some lovely girls we’d met along the way. Stefan eventually left to go do that ridiculous name-writing thing he’d been so fond of back in the 20s. Who was I to judge though? We all have our issues.

I drained the girl and let her drop to the floor.

“So what brings Stefan back into the picture anyway?” Rebekah asked me, “It’s not like you to do anything that makes me happy, ever. So what’s the real reason?”

“He agreed to come with me to save his brother, that’s all. I figured he might be useful. He always was good at torturing people back in the day.”

Rebekah looked at the coffins, where our other brothers lay.

“You know, we could at least wake Kol.” She mused, “He isn’t so bad. Where’s Elijah, by the way? I noticed he’s not among the coffins.”

“Elijah’s off pretending I don’t exist. Last I checked, they’ve left Hawaii and have moved on to Los Angeles.” I naturally kept tabs on his and Eloise’s whereabouts. I could let them believe they were rid of me for now, but eventually I’d have to track them down once more.

“They?” Rebekah asked curiously.

“Yes, he and his daughter.” I waited for the reaction.

“His  _what?_ ” she jumped off the crate she was sitting on. “What on earth are you talking about, Nik?”

“I mean, she’s obviously not  _really_ his. Just a brat he found and took in.” I said nonchalantly.

“Why would he do that? Because you daggered his siblings, I’m guessing?” her voice dripped with contempt.

“Careful, dear sister.” I warned, “Do you need to go back into time out?”

She huffed, and turned away from me.

Stefan seemed to be gone for a long time, and I grew tired of waiting. “I’m going to check on the witch. I’ll be back. Stay put.”

I arrived at Gloria’s bar and was startled to find she was gone. The place was completely empty. Something wasn’t right. Angrily, I kicked a table over. Every moment brought new obstacles. I walked back to the warehouse and flew the door open, storming inside.

“Gloria’s gone. She’s cleared out. We need a new witch.”

And then I noticed the suspicion on Rebekah’s face and the slight panic on Stefan’s.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Something's wrong. He was asking about Mikael. He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it.” She said fearfully. That was all I needed to hear.

“She’s wrong, Klaus.” Stefan began, but he didn’t get to finish the sentence. I rushed over and snapped his neck before he even knew what was coming. Furious, I threw his body to the ground. Something was going on, and I needed to find out what.

Contemplating, I walked over to Kol’s coffin.

“You know, it  _has_ been a while.” I said to Rebekah. I threw open the lid and pulled the dagger from my youngest brother’s heart. Kol hated me, but perhaps I could persuade him to check in on Elijah and do a couple of favors in exchange for me never speaking to him again.

“Rebekah, be a dear and go find someone for our brother to eat when he wakes.” Rebekah was gone in a flash and came back a short while later with a young man wearing a dazed look on his face. I tore his wrist open and held it to Kol’s mouth.

“Come on, wake up, you annoying little traitor.” I hissed. He began to stir, and then latched on to the wrist, draining the man dry in a matter of minutes. Kol sat up from the coffin and looked from me, to Rebekah, to the bodies on the floor.

“Oh what a shame, I missed the party.” He joked.

“Kol!” Rebekah cried, and rushed to hug him. He returned the hug, but eyed me warily from over her shoulder.

“So what’s the occasion, Nik?” he asked me. Kol climbed out of the coffin and inspected the dead man on the floor, and then looked down at his own dusty clothes with the hole torn through the chest, “You know, I think we’re about the same size. This should work.”

He unceremoniously began undressing the corpse, and the unbuttoning his own shirt.

“I have a deal to make with you, little brother.”

He raised an eyebrow as he pulled the shirt over his head, and looked at the blue jeans with apprehension. “What kind of deal? What year is it, by the way?”

“2010. Those are called blue jeans.” Rebekah answered.

“I need you to go to Los Angeles and check in with Elijah. You don’t have to do much, just stay there until your assistance is needed. There’s a girl, her name is Eloise. I’ll probably need you to bring her to me in order to drag Elijah back.”

“And why should I help you? I’ve just learned I’ve spent nearly 90 years in a box because of you.” He growled.

“Because if you do this one small task for me, you can disappear and do as you wish.” I said with a smile, “I won’t hunt you down.”

Kol considered it. “Very well, give me an address.”

In a matter of a couple of hours, I managed to get him the address, a cell phone (which I gave him a quick lesson on how to use), and some cash. Stefan began to come back to life and I broke his neck once again. Kol looked at him and back at me questioningly.

“Don’t worry about him. Long story.”

“It always is.” He shrugged. With that, he was gone.

“How do you know he’ll actually go? He might have just gone off for good.” Rebekah suggested.

“He knows I’ll track him down and shove this dagger right back in him if he betrays me. Come on, we’re going to Mystic Falls in a few days.” I grabbed Stefan’s body and headed out the door to one of the trucks parked in the back. I tossed him in and went back for Finn’s coffin. Something told me we’d be gone a while.

_ Mid-August2010 _

_ Los Angeles _

_ Ellie _

“I’m just saying, what’s the point in being here and being able to compel people to anything we want, if I can’t crash a celebrity’s house.” I whined as we walked down the street. Well, Elijah was walking, I was being dragged along beside him because  _apparently_ trying to break into Justin Timberlake’s house was against the rules.

“I turned my back for literally a second, and this is what you get into.” Elijah grumbled, shaking his head. I laughed though.

We arrived back at the vacation rental we were staying in, but Elijah suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing me to collide with him.

“Okay, what was that about?” I asked, but then I looked at our front door and saw a boy, probably a couple of years older than me, sitting on the door step looking hopelessly bored. He perked up when he saw us.

“Elijah! Wonderful. I wondered how long I was going to have to sit here.”  

“Kol…” Elijah blinked as if not believing what he was seeing, “But how?”

“Nik sent me. He woke Rebekah up as well. He’s on a bit of a warpath right now, trying and failing to make hybrids and whatnot. Listen, I’ll be honest even though you don’t deserve it because you helped dagger me about 90 years ago and I’m still deeply hurt by that.” The boy said, looking completely the opposite of deeply hurt, “He thinks you’re up to something and he sent me to spy on you while he returns to Mystic Falls. So just…do me a favor and don’t be up to something so I can be on my way.”

“Elijah, who is this?” I asked.

“Ah, you must be Eloise. Niklaus mentioned you. Let me introduce myself,” He bowed slightly, “Kol Mikaelson.”

“Mikaelson?” I looked at Elijah for answers, and he was regarding Kol with suspicion.

“Klaus knows where we are?” he asked Kol.

“Don’t be stupid, Elijah. Of course he does, he gave me your exact address. Did you really think any of us could truly evade him?”

“I suppose I’d had a shred of hope, while he was preoccupied with trying to make hybrids.” Elijah sighed. He went and unlocked the door. “Come, we’ll talk.”

I followed Elijah and Kol into the condo, feeling extremely wary of this new person who shared Elijah’s last name.

“Eloise, there’s a couple of things I haven’t told you. Klaus and I…have three other siblings. Kol is one of them.” He looked at Kol, “He never told me where he kept your bodies. I thought if I stuck around long enough he might tell me, and we could finally wake you and the others up.”

I let this information sink in. I knew there was something about their family they weren’t telling me. But I thought maybe their siblings had died tragically or something, and no one wanted to bring up bad memories. Turns out, Klaus was the only tragedy the family seemed to constantly have to endure.

“Well don’t beat yourself up.” Kol clapped him on the shoulder, “He’s Klaus. You can’t have high expectations.”

“What do you mean by ‘wake them up’?” I interjected.

“Remember the dagger the Salvatores used on me? There are more like it.” Elijah explained to me, “Klaus gets fed up with one of us, daggers us, and wakes us up at his convenience.”

“So why not just use one on him?”

“Because they don’t work on him.” Kol answered bitterly, “So he’s had all the power. For centuries.”

“Wait.” Elijah said suddenly. He seemed to have recovered from his shock, and now had a look of realization, “He’s going to Mystic Falls? Why?”

“No idea. I’m a bit lower on the totem pole than you or Rebekah.” There was no attempt to disguise the contempt in his voice, “He only tells me what he wants me to know.” At the moment, I sympathized with him. Suddenly I was getting all this new information, and realizing I had been kept in the dark for years. Klaus and Elijah had always hidden things from me.

I prayed Elijah would not want to go to Mystic Falls. We were done with that town, and everyone in it. Whatever happened now did not have to involve us, surely.

He seemed to read my thoughts, “Ellie, he might find out…”

“So what? She’s as good as dead if he does. It’s probably far too late to do anything about it now. I’m not going. I’m not getting mixed up in that again.” I said angrily.

“Who? Tell me, Ellie, what are you concerned about Klaus finding out?” Kol cut in, and when he locked eyes with me I knew he was trying to compel me.

“It won’t work, I’m on vervain.” I told him. Kol gave me a scathing look.

“Well you’re no fun.”

“Since he already knows where we are, and he’s headed for Mystic Falls I may as well tell you.” Elijah said, rubbing his temples, “The doppelganger he sacrificed for the ritual…she’s not really dead. I’m not sure if that’s why he can’t make any hybrids. But I’m part of the reason she came back to life after the ritual. I gave her friends the chance to find a way to revive her.”

“Oh this is fun.” Kol clapped his hands together. He seemed to have a permanent mischievous look about him, honestly. “Do I tell Klaus your big secret so he can go kill the doppelganger or do I keep that to myself because I honestly don’t give a single shit about him being able to create more hybrids? Decisions, decisions.”

“It doesn’t matter now. He’ll find out soon enough. It seems as though he already has a hunch if he’s going there, and he’s sent you here.”

“So what are we going to do?” I asked.

“Nothing. He knows where to find us, clearly. Kol, you’re welcome to stay so long as you don’t…draw attention to yourself. But I’m officially removing us from this mess.”

“I’m under orders to hang around anyway. I’ll do my best to do the minimum amount required to get Klaus off my back so he’ll uphold his end of our deal. And we really do need to catch up, big brother.” Kol said casually. But I didn’t like the way he was looking at me like a cat watching its prey.

“You will not harass Ellie while you’re here.” Elijah warned, “I still have a dagger stashed away.”

“Relax. I’m a neutral party.” Kol insisted, “Now, for old times’ sake, how about we go grab a bite to eat?”

He grinned impishly. Elijah relented and agreed, while I remained skeptical of this new arrival.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically where we really start to deviate from the TVD storyline. I'm not bringing back Esther, though I'm not opposed to waking Finn later on. We're still a little ways from where I plan to end this though.
> 
> Revised 12/19/18

_ September 2010 _

_ Los Angeles _

_ Ellie _

Having Kol around was not that bad. I had worried that he would be Klaus 2.0 but he lacked the rage and desire for total control that Klaus had. He was devious, and could be mean at times, but he was actually kind of  _funny_ when he was pushing Elijah’s buttons. I still couldn’t tell whose side he was really on though. He seemed perfectly happy to be away from Klaus, but he also clearly knew how powerful and vengeful Klaus could be. He didn’t necessarily want to cross him, at the end of the day. In addition to that, I knew he was still sending Klaus updates.

“So if you hate him so much, why are you helping him?” I finally asked one day after watching him very obviously send Klaus a text.

“I’m not being that helpful, love. You’re not doing anything particularly diabolical or interesting.” He answered, “It’s quite boring. I hoped for some grand scheme.”

“No schemes. Just living our lives. Trying to, anyway.”

“Well he hasn’t even replied to me in several days, so perhaps he’s preoccupied with massacring half of Mystic Falls.”  Kol offered optimistically.

This news lifted my spirits a bit, but I did immediately feel guilty knowing that the people in Mystic Falls might be suffering while I sat here miles away.

Of course, that would change very soon, when one day in mid-September Elijah got a phone call from Klaus himself. I was standing in the kitchen with him when the phone started buzzing. He stared at it, letting it continue to ring, but Klaus called three times in a row and finally Elijah answered.

“Hello, brother.” He greeted him, preparing for the worst.

 _“You’ll be pleased to know I finally succeeded in creating a hybrid. Turns out, the doppelganger didn’t need to be dead after all. Quite the opposite, actually. I have you to thank for that otherwise all hope surely would have been lost.”_  I was surprised to hear this, and studied Elijah’s face for his feelings on this news, but he betrayed nothing.

His only, very measured, response was “I’m glad you’re doing well, Nik.”

_“Mhm, sounds like you’re just thrilled. Anyway, I’m sure you’re asking yourself why I haven’t just grabbed my doppelganger and gotten the hell out of this town.”_

“I wasn’t, actually, but I’m sure you’ll feel the need to inform me.” Elijah replied.

_“Damon informed me they’d found Mikael and woke him.”_

Elijah’s face tightened. “So what do you plan to do?”

_“Well, I left town, naturally. But then Stefan called and told me they’d staked Mikael. Rebekah even confirmed.  Call me a skeptic, but I do not trust it. Return with me, help ensure that Mikael is in fact dead, help me get my doppelganger, and then be on your merry way.”_

Klaus’s voice was calm, almost friendly, and that’s usually when he was most dangerous. Elijah and I exchanged glances, and Kol appeared in the room and looked as though he’d heard the whole conversation so far.

“And what if I refuse? You’re more than capable of evading Mikael, you managed to do so for decades.”

_“I’m sure Kol is near. Kol, kill the girl if he says no. Or risk going back in the box for another century. Your choice.”_

Now all eyes were on Kol, who didn’t look the slightest bit conflicted. “I do enjoy being alive.” He said with a false apologetic smile.  I edged away.

“Fine. We’ll be there within a day.” He hung up the phone and with no warning at all, lunged for Kol while pulling out a silver dagger.

Kol dodged him, and ended up behind me. I thought he was for sure going to produce a stake and kill me, but instead he leaned forward and said to me, “Don’t let him kill me, yeah?” I looked back at him, bewildered. Hadn’t he just admitted he’d kill me without a second thought to avoid being daggered?

But in a weird way, we’d almost become friends, and lord knows my track record for healthy friendships was not great.

“Elijah don’t!” I said, blocking his path as he tried to reach Kol again, “You know he doesn’t have a choice.”

“You’ve lost your mind.” Elijah stopped in front of me, and glared over my shoulder at Kol.

“He’s just trying to get away from Klaus. Just like you are.” I tried to reason. “You’re better than this.”

“Exactly, Elijah! She’s got a point, you know. You’d kill anyone if it meant he’d leave you alone.” Kol interjected, “Or you could just let Mikael kill him, if he is actually still alive. But until then, we do need to at least pretend to be doing as he says.”

“Once Mikael kills him, I have no doubt he’ll come after me for aiding Klaus all these years.” Elijah sighed, “We’ll leave in a few hours.”

He dashed upstairs, and from the sound of it he was already packing.

“Thanks, darling.” Kol patted me on the shoulder.

“You can repay me by not actually killing me.” I told him. He only grinned. I scowled at him, “Why is all of this funny to you? It’s like you don’t care what happens at all.”

“It’s part of the fun. You never know what to expect.” He winked, and went to pack his own things.

Hours later, we arrived in Mystic Falls yet again. Elijah received a text from Klaus with instructions to meet him at the Lockwood mansion but to leave Kol and me behind.

“He says Kol will have orders to kill you if I don’t immediately help him retrieve Elena after we take care of Mikael.” Elijah said, with some uncertainty . Kol was playing with his phone, completely ignoring us.

“Don’t worry about me. Just do what you need to do so we can leave.” I reassured him.

Elijah looked conflicted. He no doubt had his reservations about betraying Elena once again. So did I, but I wanted my freedom far more than I wanted to protect the doppelganger.

After Elijah left, I kept my distance from Kol. I watched him carefully every time he checked his phone, waiting for some sign that he would jump up and try to kill me. He finally let out an exasperated groan and looked at me.

“Listen, I’ll  _tell you_  first if I’m going to kill you. Just stop staring at me. I know I’m handsome, but it’s honestly annoying.” He tossed me his phone, and I caught it and raised my eyebrows. “There. Now you’ll know if Klaus tells me to murder you. And I’ll know when you read the message, because you’re very bad at hiding your emotions.”

“Sorry if my wanting to live is inconvenient to you.” I said sarcastically.

“Oh no, it’s not that. It makes it all the more fun when someone I want to kill is desperately trying to fight for life.” He smiled menacingly, and then added, “Not that I particularly  _want_  to kill you. I’m just saying, it’ll be more enjoyable if you make it interesting. Please make it interesting?”

“You’re deranged.”

“I’ve got a lot of pent-up rage to work out. I never wanted any of this, you know.” He leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the clock while making a clicking sound with his tongue in time with the second hand.

He never wanted any of this? This surprised me. “Why not?”

“Before I turned, before any of us did, I was learning magic. Turns out, I had the gift and I was quite exceptional. Unfortunately for me, you can’t be a vampire  _and_ a witch. When my mother cursed us with immortality, I lost my power.”

“I’m sorry, Kol.” I said after a moment, “I didn’t really have a choice either. I was dying, and my family decided to have me turned to ‘save’ me but then they locked me in a cellar for several months and starved me to keep me from being a problem.”

“And it was Elijah who turned you?”

“Yes, I don’t really remember it though. Kinda hazy.” I admitted. Every time I tried, the memory was cloudy and strange. I could never quite remember actually seeing Elijah at any point back then. In fact, strangely, none of my memories of those first few decades were very clear. I shook my head, expelling the thought. “I probably should have died back then.”

“Oh, don’t start that ‘I never should have been turned’ bullshit.” Kol groaned, “If you start getting all suicidal, this won’t be any fun for me. Don’t take that away from me.” I tossed a pillow at him.

“You’re terrible company.”

“Seriously, do you need a pep talk? It’s always darkest before the dawn, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, where there’s a will there’s a way, etcetera.”

Kol’s phone buzzed and I looked at it, and then at him. He leaned forward, “Well go on then, see what the message is.”

My heart pounded in my chest and I knew Kol could hear it, and he seemed to be relishing my anxiety. I finally summoned the courage to read the text.

**Mikael has been dealt with. Elijah will be staying close until we obtain doppelganger. There were complications. Do NOT let Eloise out of your sight.**

I read the text aloud to Kol, feeling my anxiety begin to decrease. He must have sensed that I was telling the truth because he became considerably less enthusiastic.

“Great, so I’m stuck in this one-horse town with only you for company.” He muttered. “Tomorrow, I’m getting out of this dreadful house and you’re coming with me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Well, that’s too bad. Because I’ve been instructed to keep an eye on you, and I’m bored.” And that seemed to settle the matter.

_ September 17, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Elijah _

Klaus roared and slammed a fist into the back of the empty truck, where Finn’s coffin had been stashed. In addition to that, we’d learned Rebekah had been daggered as well and taken. Stefan, and apparently Katherine, had made off with their bodies.

“I gave the man his freedom and  _this_ is how I’m repaid?” he raged.

I didn’t bother to mention that maybe things would have been different if he’d never forced Stefan into his service to begin with. Now was not the time to try and reason with my brother. Especially when he had Kol impatiently waiting for the order to kill Eloise. I hoped she was still taking the vervain like she was supposed to. She’d need it.

“Come, Elijah, I’ve obtained lodging not far from here. We’ll get our siblings back, and get the doppelganger in time.”

“I’ve already got a place to stay, where Kol and Ellie are. Why don’t we just go back there?”

Klaus’s face darkened, and I knew it was a lost cause. “Now you know I can’t do that, brother. If she’s easily accessible, you could simply slip away without helping me.”

He was right, of course. And I couldn’t go and retrieve her anyway. He’d get a message to Kol long before I got there and she’d be dead. Our youngest brother’s temperament had been one of the deciding factors when I met Ellie all those years ago. I’d seen firsthand what one could become with all that unchecked angst and impulsiveness. Kol was a special case, of course. He bordered on psychotic most days. He wouldn’t waste an opportunity to act on his sadistic urges.

We arrived at a rather large manor, where several of Klaus’s hybrids were lurking about.

“You’ve been busy.” I commented, taken aback by the sheer number of them. He’d wasted no time creating his own army.

“The best part is, they’re all sire-bonded to me. They do whatever I tell them to do.” Klaus boasted. So this was his idea of a perfect family.

“Very impressive.” I managed to sound almost genuine.

“Thank you for sparing me your opinions.” Klaus said with a smirk, “Anyway, tomorrow I’m going to start tracking Stefan down. I’ll need you to pay a visit to Elena. Gain her trust, show her you’re still on her side, and then when the time is right we’ll grab her and get out of here.”

“I’m not comfortable deceiving her, Nik.”

“I don’t have time for your honor and dignity, Elijah. I’m trying to build an army. Just find the girl and get close to her, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

I agreed, convincing myself that perhaps it would not be so bad considering Elena did not have to die this time around. I sent a quick text to Ellie, telling her to be safe and not let her guard down around Kol. He could be downright charming when he wanted to be, and many had lost their lives falling for that façade.

_ September 20, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls high school _

_ Ellie _

“You’re out of your freaking mind.” I said to Kol as he led us to the front doors of the school. After a weekend of feasting on residents of neighboring towns—which I convinced him to do so we wouldn’t cause a scene in Mystic Falls—Kol announced that morning he wanted to try something new. He wanted to go to a human high school. It was about 9am and most everyone was already in class, so we wouldn’t have any interruptions as we compelled the front office staff to register us both as freshmen. I worried I might look too young to play the part—among a multitude of other problems I saw with this plan—but Kol insisted it would be fine and I’d just need to tell everyone I skipped a grade and I was short.

Naturally, Kol made sure we had the exact same class schedule so he could keep his word with Klaus.

“Do you even plan on attending any of these?” I looked at the schedule, assuming he was probably just going to snack on high schoolers all day and compel himself good grades.

“Of course! Education is so very important, Ellie.”

His phone buzzed in my pocket. He was still making me carry it around for his own twisted amusement. I checked it, not really feeling the jolt of fear anymore. After spending the whole weekend with Kol and not having my death sentence ordered, I was beginning to breathe a little easier. I wanted to believe Klaus would not  _really_  want me dead.

“He’s just reminding you about Finn and Rebekah, and to watch your back. “I told him.

“They can keep ‘em both.” Kol shrugged.  His contempt for his family was not lost on anyone. We walked into the school just as the previous class ended, and the hall swarmed with students. I anxiously pressed a little closer to Kol, feeling a little overwhelmed with suddenly being surrounded by humans.

“Ellie?” A voice behind me said. I turned, and saw Elena standing right in front of me. A blonde girl, I think her name was Caroline, was beside her. Their eyes darted to Kol, who had immediately put himself at my side.

“Um. Hi.” I said awkwardly. What do you say to someone after you kind of helped sacrifice them to break a curse? Not to mention Klaus still wanted to kidnap her so he would have a continuous supply of her blood.

“What are you doing here?” Caroline crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. Kol stepped forward.

“I could ask you the same thing.” I said to Elena, “You’ve got a target on your back and you’re going to school?”

“We’re being told to keep out of the way until Klaus  _deals_  with things here.” He said politely. He extended a hand, but neither girl accepted the offer. “

“And who are you?” Caroline asked.

“Kol. Kol Mikaelson.” He laughed as shock registered on both their faces, “Yes, there are more of us, don’t look so dismayed. Don’t worry though. I couldn’t care less about you. I’m only here for her.” He jerked a thumb in my direction.

“Why?”

“Elijah’s cooperation is required. He cooperates slightly better when there’s a very real possibility something he loves might end up very, very dead.” Kol grinned, as if this entire situation was a game, “Ellie, tell them.”

“He’s going to kill me if Elijah tries to help you.” I explained quickly. It was getting kind of boring. Elena seemed more affected by this news than she should have. That was…odd.

The bell rang and Kol grabbed my hand. “Well, we’ve got biology, got to run. Lovely chat.”

Behind me, I heard Elena whisper urgently to Caroline, “I need to talk to Damon, I’ll be right back.”

_ September 20 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Elijah _

I waited patiently outside of the school as the clock ticked closer to 3:00pm. School would be out soon, and Elena and her friends should be here. I was still unsure of the plan. Klaus had only said to gain their trust, but I felt a bit sick at the deception. I struggled to come up with anything I could offer Elena and her friends in exchange for cooperation. Klaus was busy hunting down Stefan, and I didn’t think I could persuade him to allow the boy to live. The others though, I might be able to save.

She had a younger brother, named Jeremy. Her family meant everything to her. That was a start.

Sitting on the bench just across the street, I watched as teenagers began to pour out of the building. I was taken aback to see Kol and Ellie amongst them, but they did not notice me. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. Kol would want to find some way to wreak havoc. I knew he wouldn’t kill her unless Klaus told him to, and that was a small comfort. He would be far too occupied picking off humans at school for now.

I spotted Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie and stood. Elena noticed me immediately, as she always seemed to be on high alert these days. Who could blame her? She said something to her friends and they made a beeline for me.

“Elijah.” She said, and offered a warm smile. I thought of Katherine, and…Tatia. It was even more difficult to betray her trust, “I saw Ellie and…your brother?”

“Yes, Kol’s in town.” I replied. “He’s been told you’re off-limits though. As well as your friends.”

“He said he has to kill Ellie if you try to help me.” Elena said, “So I have to wonder why you’re here.”

“I’m here to find a peaceful solution to all of this. Where we can get the bodies of our siblings back, and Niklaus can continue to make his hybrids, and no one else has to die.” I knew getting any sort of agreement was a longshot.

“Klaus doesn’t need any more hybrids.” Caroline interjected, “Tyler is basically his slave now, they all are. It isn’t right.”

“You’re not the only one who stands to lose something right now.” I said coldly, giving up the polite act. I looked back at Elena, “I want you to think carefully about your next moves. Klaus has his hybrids watching all of you, including Jeremy. He wants our siblings back and he wants you to come with him peacefully. I’ve taken great risks to save your life, Elena. But it’s out of my hands now.”

“You’re not like this. You’re not like him.” Elena reasoned. That’s where she was wrong. I  _tried_ not to be like him. But at the end of the day, my past was just as bloody.

“You have no idea what I’m like, especially when people I love are at risk. Trust me when I say you don’t want to find out.” I said, making the threat very clear. I left after that. She didn’t understand that this was the only way I could help her. Klaus would just as soon kill everyone in his path and take what he wants. This was her one chance at keeping everyone alive.

_ September 21 2010 _

_ Salvatore Boarding House _

_ Damon _

“Okay, cool. So let’s go get her, drag her back here, and get Bonnie to do some witchy voodoo on her to bring her memory back.” I said after Elena explained what happened at school the previous day. “Then, we can just get the hell out of dodge.”

“Are we going to take literally everyone we care about? Klaus will slaughter everyone.” Elena put her hands on her hips, staring me down. Kind of a turn on, but no, we had more important matters right now.

“That’s the difference between you and I, Elena.” I said, annoyed, “I can count the people I care about on one hand. I bet they’d all fit in one vehicle. I’m not on a suicide mission to save half of Mystic Falls.”

“And what about Stefan? He won’t even tell us where he is.” My brother had disappeared without a trace, presumably with Katherine, after the failed attempt on Klaus’s life. Klaus had been hounding us for Stefan’s location but no one knew anything. I even told Klaus I’d love to know, because I felt the need to kill him too.

“What about him? No one told him to stop Mikael from killing Klaus and then run off with a couple of desiccated Originals. He hatched that plan all on his own.” Stefan was not on my very short list of people I wanted to save at the moment.

“We have to find him. Klaus and Elijah won’t rest until they get their family back. Elijah has made it very clear we no longer have an alliance.” Elijah was doing what any of us would do though; he was trying to protect the people he cared about.

Frustrated, I dialed Stefan’s cellphone again, and received no answer. Then I tried Katherine, since they appeared to have disappeared at about the same time.

“Hey, handsome.” She answered in that flirty tone she was so partial to using.

“Hey, Satan. Seen my traitor brother anywhere?”

“We parted ways shortly after the whole Mikael fiasco.” She paused, “He’s not a traitor, Damon.”

“Well he kept us from killing Klaus, so…”

“Klaus had ordered his hybrids to kill you the moment he died, if it played out that way. Stefan saved your life.”

“Then he’s a bigger idiot than I previously thought.” I said through my teeth, “Where is he, Katherine?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. I’m living my best life now, ‘kay? Bye.” The line went silent. I resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. I’d broken far too many this way.

“Useless, as always.” I grimaced. Why would Stefan bother to save me? If anything, I’d be out of the way and he could live his happily ever after with Elena.

“Maybe I should just do it.” Elena said quietly.

“Oh, no, you won’t. You’re not going to martyr yourself and become Klaus’s personal blood bag. I’ll lock you up myself if you try that crap.”

“Well then what do you suppose we do, Damon?” she was near tears, “Just when I thought life could be normal again, even without Stefan, everyone’s right back in harm’s way. Because of me.” I pulled her into a hug. I had to get Stefan back, for her sake. I was no good at this part.

“We’ll track Stefan down.” I told her, “Call Bonnie, see what she can do.”

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

Everything was at a standstill for now. Klaus would not risk losing Rebekah and Finn forever by taking Elena, and no one knew were Stefan was. We were decidedly at an impasse.

I could only speak to Elijah via text, assuring him every morning that I had survived another day with Kol, and that I was still taking vervain on a daily basis. Kol was actually not that bad if I ignored his constant taunting about the ways he was considering killing me when given the opportunity.  We managed some sort of friendship.

After texting Elijah and taking my vervain one morning, I walked downstairs to find Kol already waiting by the door. We’d been going to school for a few weeks now and I’d even managed to talk to some people, but Kol usually kept that limited. The one time I’d spoken to a boy about anything more meaningful than borrowing a pencil, Kol compelled him to switch classes and never look at me again. Honestly, Kol didn’t  _really_ talk to anyone outside of luring humans in so he could drink from them.

“I’m taking my phone back since it’s clear I won’t get to drive a stake through you any time soon.” He told me one morning, “School gets boring if I can’t pester you in class.”

I gladly handed it over to him.

“Just give me a head-start when he gives you the green light.” I replied. It had become my norm to just join him in the dark humor of the situation. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do to change my situation.

“Of course. I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”

We walked to school after that, and I enjoyed the cool autumn breeze and the changing leaves.

Unfortunately, the moment of bliss ended when I saw that Damon, Elena, and Caroline were waiting for us in front of the school. From the looks on their faces, something big had happened. Luckily, they were directing their hateful stares at Kol, who seemed oblivious.

“Lovely to see you all.” Kol commented as we got closer.

“Where is Bonnie?” Caroline demanded, storming towards him. I was confused. No one had mentioned anything to me about her. I assumed Elijah would tell me if they captured her.

“How should I know? Not my witch, not my problem.” Kol shrugged, “No one’s told either of us anything. No one ever does.” He added that last bit icily. I felt much the same.

“Well then, call Klaus right now and ask him.” Caroline said furiously. I looked around and noticed we were starting to cause a scene. I pulled on Kol’s arm.

“You guys are drawing attention. Come on.” We left the school and ended up at a relatively empty park just down the street.  Kol dialed Klaus and put him on speaker phone, still wearing that irritating smirk.

“What do you want now?” came Klaus’s impatient voice.

“Do you have the Bennett witch? Yes or no will suffice. Her friends are bothering me.” Kol yawned the last part out.

“Bonnie Bennett is…assisting me in locating Stefan and our siblings.  In fact, I believe she might know more than she lets on. Tell her friends to behave themselves in the meantime and maybe I won’t be returning a dead witch to them.” The line went dead.

“Well, there you have it. She’s alive and well.” He seemed pleased.

“I’m calling Elijah.” Elena said, picking up her phone.

“Elijah won’t help you if he wants to keep this one alive.” He motioned to me, “And I very much hope he does keep her alive at least until after the decades dance coming up, otherwise I’ll be without a date.”

It took me a moment to comprehend what he’d just said. “Excuse me?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“Well, I want to go. And I can’t let you out of my sight. Therefore, the solution is obvious.” He said.

For a moment, I completely forgot about the three people accompanying us. Kol was out of his mind if he thought I’d be his date to a school dance.

“Absolutely not.” I told him, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

 “I  _was_  going to bleed the vervain out of your system and just compel you to go with me, but that would be exhausting and I was trying to be polite for once. But fine, have it your way.” Kol said. “Just don’t complain to me when you’re strung upside down in the kitchen, bleeding-”

Our three spectators looked horrified, but I cut him off.

“Isn’t it 70’s themed? Why would you want to go? You totally missed the 70’s.” I shot back, “Due to being daggered, and whatnot.”

He met my eyes dangerously for a moment and for a second I really thought I’d messed up, but then he relaxed and went back to his carefree demeanor. “Decent comeback. But you’re still going.”

“Like hell I am.” I turned on my heel and stormed away, forcing Kol to follow me. I knew I’d still have to endure it, but I was at least going to be highly annoying until the dance.

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Damon _

We watched as they both disappeared down the street. I was weirdly proud that she stood her ground against Kol, but I worried that it would come at a cost. He didn’t seem above using drastic means to get his way.

“You don’t think he’d do that, right?”  I shuddered slightly, “Bleed the vervain out of her?”

“She didn’t seem too worried about it. I think she can handle herself.” Elena tried to reassure me.

She called Elijah but he didn’t answer, so she sent a text.

“I’m just going to ask him to try and get Bonnie back to us. I doubt he can do anything.” She said miserably.

“We’ll figure this out, Elena.” Caroline soothed. Would we though? Lives were at stake at every turn. Someone was inevitably going to die; it was only a matter of time.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn that Klaus always gets his way, somehow or another.Thanks for reading!
> 
> Revised 12/19/18

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls (Klaus’s “headquarters”) _

_ Elijah _

I looked at my phone, frowning. Elena surely had to know there was nothing to be done right now. Besides, as it turned out, Bonnie Bennett knew all along where Stefan was, and had helped conceal his location. I could hear Klaus in the other room with her, threatening everyone under the sun that she could possibly care about to lift the cloaking spell and help him track Stefan down.

“Fine,  _fine!_ ” she said, giving in, “Just don’t hurt anyone.”

“I’ll consider it if you manage to be a little quicker with this location spell.” Klaus said, losing his patience very quickly. There hadn’t been much patience to start with.

I didn’t respond to Elena’s message. I had to let that go, for now. I waited while Klaus got the information he needed from Bonnie.

When he appeared to have gotten what he wanted, he left the room and came to find me.

“Elena sent me a message.” I said, showing him the phone, “She wants Bonnie back. Are you releasing her now?”

“Lovely. Kill Elena’s brother.” Klaus said.

“What? Nik, why?” The command had come out of nowhere.

“Because I already told her to behave if she wanted Bonnie back. She tried to double cross me and go directly to you instead. Bonnie isn’t leaving until we get to Stefan.” He said simply, “And besides, it will be easier to convince Elena to come with me willingly if she has no family left here.”

I stared at him. “I won’t do this.”

“May I remind you what’s at stake?” he pulled out his phone, ready to make the call. I had to call his bluff.

“I can’t be a part of this, Klaus.” We were inches apart now, and I prayed there was some part of him that still cared enough not to actually have Ellie killed.

“You know, it’s been a very trying few weeks. I’ll give you a couple of days to really think on it.” Miraculously, he put the phone back in his pocket. “But mark my word; she will die if you make the wrong decision. I’m going out. Where’s Tyler?”

His voice boomed across the house, and I knew he was addressing the hybrids. Moments later, Tyler came forward. Klaus instructed him to bite Caroline Forbes. Tyler looked disgusted. “I couldn’t do that to Caroline, I love her.”

“Well, you’re not going to have a choice, are you?” he sneered. “You’re dismissed.” The sire-bond would force Tyler to comply, whether he wanted to or not. We all knew this. Tyler seethed but he left the room. I shook my head. There was no need for the violence at this point. Klaus was simply posturing, and desperate to let everyone know that he was in charge.

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

“Klaus wants you to meet him at the Mystic Grill. Alone.” Kol said one evening from the other side of my bedroom door. This caused immediate panic to build up in my chest. I got up from my bed and pulled the door open. Surprisingly, Kol did not look pleased to have to deliver this message.

“When?” I asked, trying to sound calm, cool, and collected. He knew it was a front but he had enough mercy on me not to say anything.

“Exactly one hour from now.” He replied, mocking Klaus’s tone. “I must say, I’m going to be very upset with him if he kills you today.”

“Yeah, I know, you wanted to be the one to do it.” I said, not really feeling up to the back-and-forth right now.

“I did nearly have it all planned out.” He mused, and then looked genuinely serious for a moment, “Not just that though. You irritate me but you’re half-way decent company.”

I didn’t know what to make of the unexpected compliment. Kol was not one to engage in deep conversation, and I could sense that opening up to people was not really something he had practice at.

“Um, I mean, you’re not bad either. You’re funny. Sometimes.” I admitted.

“Don’t flatter me, love.” He grinned, and then rummaged around in one of the kitchen cabinets and produced a wooden stake, “Take this. Hide it in your bag.”

“It won’t kill Klaus, you know that.”

“Yes, but if you get him in the heart, you’ll slow him down.” He reassured me, “And then you can run like hell.”

I accepted the stake, and stashed it in my backpack. I assumed he was only helping me because he hated Klaus and he wanted to make things difficult for him.

An hour later, I was standing in front of the Mystic Grill, thinking about how far I could get if I just turned and ran right now. I started to back away, but as if on cue a hand came down on my shoulder and Klaus was standing next to me.

“You weren’t planning on leaving, were you?” He said with a friendly smile, “I’m only a minute late.”

I shook my head, too nervous to speak, and noticed a man I hadn’t seen before following him closely. I guessed it was one of the hybrids. Elijah told me he’d been keeping at least one or two close at all times.

“Come, let’s have dinner and talk.” Klaus said, leading me into the restaurant. He got a booth near the back and had his acquaintance sit next to me, basically trapping me in my seat.

“What’s this about?” I asked slowly, already planning an exit strategy. Klaus ordered food, and I was so preoccupied with my own fear I barely heard it.

“What, I can’t have dinner with you? It’s been months since we’ve spoken face to face.” He was trying to seem caring and charming. He knew better than to think I would fall for it though.

“You’ve made it quite clear my existence means very little to you.” Saying it out loud actually kind of hurt a little bit. There was a time when I would have done anything for Klaus, and I basically did. I did his dirty work numerous times, and stood by him no matter what. None of that mattered anymore.

“I know these last few weeks have been difficult for you. How is Kol treating you?” He took a sip of a drink the waitress set down in front of him.

“We get along.” I responded, trying to go through the motions until I could leave.  “He’s less homicidal towards me these days.”

“I assume it’s not ideal.” He clasped his hands together and smiled, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes, “That is why I’d like for you to return to Elijah.”

I hadn’t expected anything like this. “Why?”

“I do believe it’s time. He’s moderately happier having you close by.” I couldn’t believe this. He was really having a moment of kindness?

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I said, “Can I go find him?” I had no appetite now that I had this news.

“Certainly.” He looked at the man sitting next to me, who had been busy eating a burger and hadn’t said a word so far. “Zander, could you let Ellie out of the seat, please? Oh, and remember what we discussed.”

In a flash, Zander grabbed my arm and sank his teeth into it. I yelped, causing a few heads to turn in our direction and cradled my arm.

“What the hell?” I asked.

“Ellie, I forgot to mention, Zander is one of my hybrids. His bite contains werewolf venom…it’s fatal to vampires, unfortunately.” He paused to watch the horrified realization on my face, and then continued, “You’ve got a day or two at most. Of course, my blood is the cure. But you won’t be having access to that just yet. I need a favor from Elijah.”

“What favor?” I said numbly.

“Tell him to kill Jeremy Gilbert within the next 24 hours, and I’ll provide you with the cure for the werewolf bite. It’s very simple. Do we have an understanding?”

I nodded, unable to speak. The hybrid stood, and allowed me to slide out of the booth. With my feet moving of their own accord, I found my way to the front door and stepped out into the evening air. I knew what I had to do, in order to make things right. I took off running. I wasn’t going to Elijah though.

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Klaus _

No one ever seems to appreciate when I show a moment of mercy. I could have just ordered Kol to kill her, but now I was giving Elijah the chance to change his mind. It was more than generous.

The plan was incredibly simple. Get Ellie alone, inflict the werewolf bite on her, and send her running to Elijah for help. And then he would panic, and call me, and I could give him my conditions. Everyone would win, and no one except for the Gilbert boy would need to die.

I waited for Elijah’s call, assuming it wouldn’t take long at all for him to realize how dire the situation was and call me for help. I was surprised when a couple of hours passed and I’d not heard from him. Did he think I would cave?

I arrived back at the house and looked for him. He wasn’t even here. Frowning, I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

“What is it now, Klaus?” There was no hint of panic in his voice, only general annoyance.

“Listen, I don’t know what your angle is. But I feel I must stress to you that I am not messing around.”

“What are you talking about?” Why was he so confused?

“I’ll let her die, Elijah. I’m not playing a game with you.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. “Wait, what? Do you mean Eloise? Where is she?”

I did not want to panic. After all, I had resolved to let the venom kill her if Elijah didn’t cooperate. What did I care if she went missing?

“She’s not… she’s not with you?” I asked tentatively.

“No. What is going on, Nik? Have you done something?” I could tell he was growing worried. I hung up the phone, refusing to let my own worry begin to show. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.  Where the hell could she be?

_ October 2010 _

_ Salvatore Boarding House _

_ Ellie _

I don’t know what brought me here, and while staring at the front door, I was still unsure if this was the right answer. But if these people knew Elena’s brother could be killed, they might just let me hide here until…until the end. For some reason I just felt drawn here anyway. Like if I had to die, this would be a safe place to let that happen. I knocked on the door.

Damon Salvatore answered, and definitely looked surprised to see me. I rolled up my sleeve and showed him the bite on my arm, which had already started looking pretty bad.

“Hi.  I guess I’m dying. Can I come in?” I said awkwardly. There was no good way to drop that bombshell.

“Jesus. Come on.” He pulled me inside and closed the door. But then he immediately got his phone out and started to go through his contacts. I stopped him.

“No! You can’t tell Klaus or Elijah. Please.” I begged. “Where’s Elena?”

“Klaus is the only person who can heal you though.” He said, looking apprehensive. He called out behind him. “Elena!”

Elena came downstairs and looked at Damon questioningly when she saw me standing there. This was not the time to bring it up, but I did find it odd that Stefan’s brother and girlfriend spent so much time together.

“Klaus wants Elijah to kill your brother.” I told her, “I’m guessing he’s refusing, because Klaus had one of his hybrids bite me.” I showed her my arm.

She gasped.

“I don’t think Elijah would think twice about it now.” I said. I suddenly felt very tired, and warm. My head was swimming. “I don’t want to put that burden on him though. Let me die here, don’t tell them, and Jeremy will be safe.”

“Absolutely not.” Damon said right away, “I’m tired of everyone trying to freaking sacrifice themselves. We’re calling Klaus.”

“No!” I looked at Elena, pleadingly, “Tell him. It’s going to be my life or Jeremy’s.”

Elena looked conflicted. “I don’t know what the right answer is.”

I opened my mouth to try and make my case, but my legs gave out and I dropped to the floor. Damon grabbed me before my body actually came in contact with the ground. He carried me up to a bedroom on the second floor and placed me on the bed.

“Don’t tell them.” I whispered, “If I’m dead, there’s nothing Klaus can do to get Elijah to cooperate. He’ll be able to help Elena. You want her safe, right?”

“I do want her safe. I want you safe too.” I didn’t understand why. He barely knew me. Still, maybe it was the werewolf venom slowly killing me, but I was comforted. This would be an okay place to die.

I began to fade in and out of consciousness. Strange dreams started to take place in my head. I was dreaming of the early days, with Elijah. I dreamt I was in the cellar, and I saw his face through the bars, but then I blinked and Damon was there. I had several more memories flash, and the faces kept changing. I dreamt Damon was walking away from me, and for some reason I was frantically trying to catch up to him I called out his name several times, screaming. But my voice was caught in my throat and only a whisper came out.

“Ellie.” I heard him say, and I ran to catch up. My feet felt weighted down. “Ellie. Ellie! Ellie, wake up.”

I was being shaken, and I opened my eyes. For a moment, I forgot what was going on. I looked around wildly before remembering where I was, and that I was dying.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Damon said softly. I began to calm down. I felt a little more secure with him here.

“Bad dreams.” I said, trying to shake my head to clear my thoughts. It didn’t work. Damon kept shifting in and out of focus.

“You were calling my name.” he said, “Why?”

“I don’t know. I just…”I trailed off, feeling awkward, “it was a weird dream.” Searing pain was coursing through my arm, and I lost focus again. Finally, the pain overwhelmed me and I slipped out of consciousness again.

I was watching myself now, but I felt like there was a barrier in the way. Elijah was there to, and so was the dead witch, Jonas. They were speaking but everything was muffled and I couldn’t make it out. Jonas was clearly performing a spell though, and I was just sitting there, staring straight ahead. Elijah was speaking too, and I strained to hear but nothing came through. Something wasn’t right though, I could tell. But it looked like he was in the middle of compelling me. I just didn’t understand why Jonas was there.

But none of this was real. I woke up again, this time Damon was gone and I was alone in the room. I stumbled out of bed. I was starving now. I somehow found myself downstairs, staggering around, looking for anything I could actually eat. I saw Elena before she saw me and started towards her but arms wrapped around me and pulled me back. I screamed. I needed blood, and I needed it now.

“Hey, whoa, calm down!” Damon’s voice sounded far away though, and I was too hungry. A blood bag was suddenly pressed to my mouth and I grabbed it, downing the entire thing in seconds. Damon handed me another one and I drained that one too.

“Come on. You need to lie back down. Kol will be here soon.”

This snapped me out of my fog. “Kol? What? Why would you call him?”

“I didn’t.” he made a face. “Elena did. You said not to call Klaus or Elijah. You didn’t say anything about Kol.”

“I’m not letting her die, Damon. I won’t do that to you.” Elena said, “Jeremy is leaving town as we speak. He’ll be fine.”

“Why do you care?” I asked Damon. Elena had said she wouldn’t do that to him. What did that mean?

“Nothing. Pesky conscience and all that. Let’s get you back to bed.”

He picked me up and carried me back up the stairs. I had to stay lucid long enough to talk Kol into leaving Klaus out of this.

“Don’t leave.” I said as Damon put me back in the bed. He pulled a chair up and sat down.

“Wasn’t planning on it. You’re at the stage where you just want to feed. I don’t need you getting out and going on a murder spree.”

“I just don’t want to fall asleep again. Too many weird dreams.” I told him, propping myself up with pillows.

“Like what?” he asked, intrigued. I told him, even though I had no real reason to trust him. After recounting the dreams, including the ones that he was in, I noticed his expression change. He looked like he wanted to say something.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” I said, prodding him a bit. I was at high risk for falling asleep again. He needed to say _something._

“Ellie.” He furrowed his brow, and looked reluctant to continue his sentence, “I think maybe there’s something Elijah’s not telling you. You need to ask him.”

“They’re just dreams.” I said, shaking my head, “It’s not real. Besides, I’m going to die. I’m not letting you guys get Klaus to heal me.”

“They’re not just dreams.” The way he said it, it sounded like he knew way more than he was letting on.

I started to ask how he would know, but we heard a knock at the front door.

Downstairs, I heard Elena answer the door and then Kol’s extremely impatient voice demanding to be invited in. She allowed him in and he rushed up the stairs.

“Where the bloody hell is the little idiot.” He snapped at her, but he didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he barreled through the house, throwing doors open until he came to the room I was in, “ _You.”_ He gave me a scathing look that was almost comical considering my predicament.

“Hi, Kol.” I said weakly, and tried to adopt a more lighthearted tone, “Here to watch me die?”

“Certainly not like this.” He said in disgust. “You’re supposed to go down fighting.”

“Thanks for the kind words.” I said sarcastically.

“I’m not going easy on you just because you’ve decided to try and die. Don’t be stupid.” He turned to face Damon, “And you were going to let her? Useless. All of you. I’ve already contacted Klaus, he’s been looking for you for hours. He’s on his way.” Klaus had been looking for me?

“I won’t let him heal me. I refuse.” I didn’t know how I was going to resist being cured when I could barely get out of bed, but that wasn’t the point.

“You don’t get a choice. He’s going to make you all better, and then I’m going to give you a one hour head start, and  _then_  I’m going to hunt you down and rip your heart out of your chest.”

“This is an unhealthy friendship.” Damon commented.

“We’re hardly friends. Kol doesn’t make friends.” I said grumpily. Kol gave me a look that said I’d better watch what I said, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t believe he’d called Klaus. I was prepared to die. I’d made peace with it.

We didn’t have to wait very long. Klaus arrived very soon after Kol, and I yelled down for Elena not to invite him in but of course she did.

“Your cooperation is most appreciated, Miss Gilbert.” He said warmly, “We’ll speak shortly.”

I didn’t trust the tone of his voice. She told him where I was and he was standing in the doorway within seconds. “Well, you look terrible.” He said, raising his eyebrows. I didn’t say anything.

“Where’s Elijah?” Kol asked.

“Oh, he’s furious with me, and worried senseless about Ellie. I haven’t told him we found you, Ellie. He’ll be fine though.”

“I don’t really want him to sit here and watch me die anyway.” I said, and then with bitterness I added, “I’d rather not have you here either. This is your fault.”

Klaus only smiled, and came closer to the bed. “Well, technically it’s Elijah’s fault.” Damon straightened as he came closer, and looked ready to leap out of his chair at him, “I’m not here to hurt anyone, Salvatore. I’m going to give Ellie the cure—my blood—and then the girl and I will be on our way.”

“I’m not going with you; I’m not letting you heal me. I’m going to die here.” I said stubbornly.

“Damon, I know we have our differences, but I think we agree on just this one thing. You and Kol, please restrain her.”

Damon looked unhappy about this statement, but to my surprise he nodded grabbed my arm and pinned it down. Kol did the same to my other side. “Sorry, love.” He said in my ear, “Just looking out for your best interests.” I fought against them but the virus had significantly progressed. I had no strength left in me. Klaus bit into his arm and pressed the wound against my mouth. I resisted at first, but I was also hungry, and my hunger cancelled out every other emotion. I drank until the wound closed up on its own. Defeated by my own instincts, I angrily pushed his arm away when Damon and Kol released their grips on me. I could feel the blood already working, but I was still exhausted. Still, I tried my best to muster defiance. “I’m not going with you.”

“No need. I cured Caroline in exchange for my siblings. I cured you as a favor to Elena in exchange for her cooperation. I even threw in her brother’s continued existence in the mortal realm for good measure.”

“ _What?”_  Damon and I both responded.

“She’s a lovely girl, really she is. It’s a shame, because I was going to cure Eloise anyway, but this works out much better for me. I’ll be taking Elena, my hybrids, and our daggered siblings tonight. The rest of you can do whatever you want.”

Damon rushed out of the room, presumably in search of Elena. “He won’t find her. I had her go ahead and leave with a couple of the hybrids while I dealt with this situation.”

I gaped. After everything, he’d still managed to get everything he wanted. Kol seemed a mix between shocked and genuinely impressed.

“Yes, dear, it turns out your dramatic little stunt was more helpful to me than you intended. Elijah is going to help me get everything moved so I can put some distance between myself and this godforsaken town and then he will return to you.”

He disappeared. I collapsed back on the bed and closed my eyes. After all that, nothing had changed.

“Yeah, welcome to trying to outsmart Klaus.” Kol said beside me, “Do you want me to leave?”

“You can stay. Just don’t gloat.”

“Why would I gloat?”

I turned onto my side so we were face to face. “Is that a real question?” He nodded. “Well, I’m assuming you’d gloat because even though you don’t care a great deal about Klaus, you definitely seem to enjoy when bad things happen to me.”

He was silent for a moment, and I kind of enjoyed just sitting like this. Finally, he spoke again, “Years ago, I tried to kill him. I really thought I would succeed, because I had a whole coven on my side. And then he, and Elijah, managed to outsmart me, and stuck me in a box for nearly a century. That split second of realization that I had lost, was pretty fucking soul-crushing.”

So that’s what it was. He actually knew how I felt. He knew I thought I’d finally found a way to beat Klaus at his own game, and I failed. I held my hand it out, and he took it and squeezed.

“All regularly schedule tormenting will continue tomorrow.” He said with a small smile, “Take a break from your life for tonight.”

I don’t know when I fell asleep, but it was probably the heaviest I’d slept in weeks. I didn’t wake up until late the next morning. It took me a moment to remember yesterday’s events. It felt like a bad dream. Kol was not in the room, and I heard movement downstairs. I wondered if Stefan was back, and if he’d hate me. Maybe Damon hated me too.

I knew Klaus probably would have tracked down Jeremy anyway, and threatened his life and still gotten everything he wanted. But I couldn’t help blaming myself. I shouldn’t have come here yesterday. I should have gone far, far from Mystic Falls and died in the woods somewhere. Away from people who inexplicably decided to care about my existence. But now I was still alive and everything was still a mess.

_ October 2010 _

_ Somewhere outside of Mystic Falls _

_ Kol _

I stood back, admiring my handiwork. The bodies of two young women lay lifelessly on the forest floor, and the man I’d compelled to kill them stood shuddering. His body was now covered in blood and deep cuts from the knife I’d given him.  Last night had been highly stressful and I needed to decompress in the only way I knew how. First of all, Klaus had no right to go back on what he promised me.  Second, I was genuinely bothered by this girl just going off on her own and trying to die on her own terms. That is not how this was supposed to go. If I’ve decided I want to kill someone then I am the  _only person_ who gets to say when and how they die.

“Pl-please…let me go…” the man said through ragged breathes. I liked it when they were fully aware of everything they were being forced to do. It always made things so much more interesting. I produced a small glass.

“Cut your arm, right here.” I indicated on my own arm. “And fill this glass to the top with blood.”

The man winced as he took the knife and dragged it across his flesh. I held the glass out and watched carefully as blood began to flow from his arm. This was taking too long, though. “You didn’t cut deep enough, idiot.” I growled. I bit into his arm and got the artery right where I needed to. The blood began to flow more freely into the cup and at last I was happy with the result. I downed the entire glass as he looked on, horrified.

“I’m bored now.” I said, tossing the glass away. “Plunge the knife into your heart.”

Despite his desperate sobs and pleas for mercy, he did as he was told, and I watched as he fell to the ground.  

I would never have magic again, but I relished the ability to make humans bend to my will. Average vampires were no match for me either. Even if they happened to be on vervain. After all, it doesn’t take long to get it out of someone’s system.

I turned to a man I’d compelled to sit quietly and watch the little production I’d just put on.

“What’s your name, mate?”

“Um. Chad.” He said nervously.

“Right. Chad. I’m in a bit of a conundrum. This girl, you know? I just…I really wanna kill her. But then if I kill her, then that’ll be it. That’s the thing. I mean, I want to kill lots of people, but I don’t usually mind that it’s the only time I get to kill them.” I frowned, kicking a rock around with my shoe, “You see, being the one to take someone’s life is really very intimate. In that moment, I’m the most important thing in their world. It’s nice sharing that…connection with someone. Don’t you think, Chad?”

Chad agreed eagerly, because of course he would. I was currently holding his life in my hands. That’s exactly what I was talking about. I really enjoyed mattering to people, even if it was temporary. God knows my own family didn’t seem to notice me until my indulgences became inconvenient or I tried to kill my hybrid brother.

“I can’t just kill her though. My family would be very angry with me.” I sighed. “I’ll have to figure something else out. Plus she’s kind of like…literally my only friend. I don’t make friends.”

“Why not just…be friends with her?” Chad reluctantly suggested. I looked down at him, and pondered this.

“That’s not really my thing. Sorry, Chad. This has been an insightful conversation.” Before he could react, I was on him, draining the blood from his neck. I felt a little better about the whole situation. I pulled the bodies into a pile and doused them with lighter fluid, and then set the whole thing ablaze. I watched the flames until I felt I could return to Mystic Falls without ripping anyone’s throat out.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised 12/19/18

_ Late October, 2010 _

_ Salvatore Boarding House _

_ Ellie _

I would absolutely have to gather the courage to leave today. It had been three whole days and I was still here. Kol came and went often. He was going back to school and brought me back missed assignments. Then he would come back and do the assignments for me because I let them sit untouched on the desk in the bedroom I’d claimed. I protested, and even told him Elijah would literally die if he knew I was letting someone else do my school work for me, but it was a lost cause.  He said he wasn’t about to let me drop out and weasel my way out of going to that stupid dance that he still insisted on going to. The Salvatores did not like having him around but, he’d been invited in so there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop him.

Stefan was back, but I saw very little of him. I was pretty sure he was holding a grudge against me. Damon was consumed with trying to help him track down Elena. It seemed Klaus had made new witch friends, and there was a cloaking spell over Elena. Bonnie couldn’t locate her. So mostly I just listened to them discuss possibly locations and try to find out where werewolf packs might be, in case Klaus had decided to make more hybrids again.

I had avoided all calls and texts from Elijah and I couldn’t actually explain why. I did send one initial message that I was alive and relatively unharmed.

Well, part of that was a lie. I could explain why I hadn’t returned the calls. I didn’t tell anyone but the dreams hadn’t stopped after I was cured. It seemed the werewolf venom had permanently screwed something up and I kept dreaming of past memories but they kept changing and shifting, and Damon would be were Elijah was supposed to be. But maybe that was because Damon had been around when the werewolf venom was killing me. Either way, it was just unsettling, and made me really want to avoid Elijah for some reason. I made up my mind to ask Bonnie to look into it and see if there was anything she could do so I could get a decent night’s sleep again.

The next morning, I woke up at an appropriate time, got dressed and got my backpack which Kol had left here two days ago as a form of motivation.

“I’m going to school. I can’t sit here sulking any longer.” I announced to Damon. He was already downstairs. Apparently, so was Kol. “I didn’t hear you come in.” I said to him.

“Neither did I.” Damon grumbled, shooting Kol an annoyed glance.

“I try to check in when I can. I had some extra time this morning.” He jumped to his feet and headed over to the door. “Come on then. Looks like I was right on time.”

“Don’t eat anyone.” Damon called from behind us as we walked out the door. It felt good to get back into a routine again. I had hated the idea of school at first, but it was an easy distraction for 8 hours a day. Even Kol seemed to act almost normal, and I could forget he was an ancient homicidal vampire whose primary job was to kill me when given the order.

At school, the first thing I did was go in search of Bonnie Bennett. Kol wandered off. He was less strict on following me around now that Klaus seemed to have forgotten about both of us until further notice. He’d been given strict orders not to kill any students but he could still find fun in other ways. I was happier not knowing what he got up to when I was away. I spotted Caroline and flagged her down. She looked annoyed by the sight of me.

“Hey, have you seen Bonnie?” I asked her.

“Haven’t you and those original creeps done enough around here? What do they need from her now?” This was not a great start.

“It’s not for any of them!” I quickly assured her, “I need help with something. The bite from the hybrid has permanently screwed up my memories.”

She frowned and hesitantly said, “It didn’t do anything like that to me.” Her face softened though and she seemed to take pity on me. She then tore a page from her notebook and got a pen out, “But here, I’ll give you her number. Maybe there’s something she can do.”

She handed me the paper and rejoined the mob of students milling about in the hallway. I immediately sent Bonnie a message to let her know I got her number from Caroline and I needed her help if she had time. I could understand if she didn’t want to help me. But she was the only witch I actually had any contact with so it was my only shot.

An hour later, she texted me back:

**Meet me at the Mystic Grill after school. Don’t bring Kol.**

I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, considering my last visit to the Mystic Grill nearly killed me. Going without Kol was a little worrisome too, but I knew there was no way she’d trust me if I brought him. I told her I’d be there.

_ October 2010 _

_ Salvatore Boarding House _

_ Damon _

Why would Bonnie call me? Ever?

I answered, deeply curious to know what the witch could possibly want.

“So you know how you told Elena not to tell anyone about that girl Ellie and your whole connection to her?” Bonnie said apprehensively.

“Save it, I knew she would tell you and Caroline. What’s up?”

“Ellie texted me, and Caroline filled me in a bit too. I don’t know what Elijah did to alter her memory, but it’s breaking down. The werewolf venom accelerated the process, I think.” Bonnie sounded worried, “She says everything’s all mixed up and she’s having strange dreams. She wants me to try and help her fix it, Damon. What do I do?”

I wanted to tell her to tear down Elijah’s work completely and finally reveal the lies he’d planted. But it wouldn’t be a good thing for her to find out her whole life is a lie all at once. We couldn’t just come out and tell her. She had to find out in her own time.

“Don’t give her any specifics. Don’t tell her anything. Just plant the seed. Let her start to figure it out, and then she’ll have to confront Elijah when it all starts to add up.”

“I don’t want this to come back on me, Damon.” She said warily. That was a valid fear. Elijah had made it pretty clear what would happen if I meddled. But it was too late to worry about that now. We were well past meddling.

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t. I’ll take the fall if literally anything happens. I promise.”

_ October 2010 _

_ Mystic Grill _

_ Ellie _

I told Kol I wanted to meet a friend after school, and he didn’t question it. He knew I was slightly more sociable than he was, due to a desire to fit in with ‘normal’ teenagers. He said he’d meet me back at the house. I was a little relieved, because I’d counted on him not wanting to suffer through any sort of social activity.

Bonnie was already there at a table when I arrived, and I took a seat across from her.

“Um. Sorry about everything with Klaus. I’m not really involved in whatever he gets up to anymore.” It was odd not being in his inner circle, but incredibly freeing at the same time.

“So you wouldn’t know where Elena is?” Of course she’d want to know. I couldn’t blame her for that.

“I don’t. Elijah doesn’t tell me either. In case one of you tries to torture it out of me.”

I found it a little surprising that they hadn’t, actually. It’d be the first thing Klaus would do. It’d be the first thing  _I_ would do back when I was doing his dirty work.

“Elijah helped us ensure Elena would come back to life after the moonstone ritual. We respect him, and he’s made it clear you’re to come to no harm here.” 

“That brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about.” I said after she mentioned Elijah, “This whole thing started with dreams when I was sick from the werewolf venom. They kept shifting. I kept…I kept seeing Damon Salvatore where Elijah should have been. Now when I try to remember things from early on, it all seems broken. I still keep having those dreams as well.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes darted around the restaurant. It was crowded, and but no one seemed to notice us. The music was up loud and the chatter would make it difficult for anyone to overhear us.

“Give me your hands. I’m going to try and look into your memories and see if there’s anything that stands out.” I followed her instructions and waited while she closed her eyes and whispered a few words under her breath. I could feel her pulling at my mind now, and forced myself to relax and let the memories be pulled out, one by one. It was as if she were flipping through a book.

Finally, she released my hands and opened her eyes.

“I don’t know what it means,  but…” she seemed to be choosing her words carefully, like she was nervous, “Your memories have been altered. Like, edited with magic. The stress of the werewolf bite and everything else going on might have disturbed something.”

“So I’ve been compelled?”

She shook her head. “Not just compulsion. It’s compulsion that’s been specifically reinforced by magic.”

I didn’t know what to make of this. I remembered the dream I had about Jonas and Elijah. Could that have been real?

“Why would someone do this?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them.” I knew exactly what she meant by that. But I didn’t know if I could bring myself to do it.

I thanked her and said good bye, but before I left she touched my hand and looked at me with worried eyes.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt, Ellie. I think I’m taking a risk even helping you with this.”

“No one will know.” I promised her.

I left with that, and returned home. I decided I would wait to confront Elijah in person. This wasn’t something I could talk about over the phone, and I still didn’t even know if I wanted to talk about it at all. What if there was a reason? Elijah had never hurt me, or lied to me. Surely this was something he’d done for my own protection?

 

_ November 5, 2010 _

_ Undisclosed location _

_ Elijah _

Despite my better judgment, I’d actually elected to stay. Elena would need a friend here. She was compelled to stay within the compound, but she was in a fairly weakened state due to the volume of blood Klaus was drawing from her to make his hybrids. I tried my best to get him to slow down. He knew to be careful not to kill her, but other than that he had no real concerns for her comfort.

There was not a lot I could do for her. I couldn’t get her off of the property. I’d procured some vervain but I hadn’t given her any just yet. I wanted to wait until she might really need it.

Finn and Rebekah were still daggered. Klaus was convinced they would only interfere, and with the threat to Ellie still looming, I had no to choice but to leave them alone. So that left my only company being Elena, Klaus, the hybrids stalking the property, and a couple of witches. So I spoke to Elena fairly often.

One such morning, I tapped on her door while carrying a tray with coffee and a small breakfast of eggs and French toast. She took most meals in her room.

Elena cracked the door with a scowl already fixed on her face, but she relaxed when she saw it was just me. “Oh. Thought it was another hybrid. Good morning, Elijah.”

“Miss Gilbert.” I nodded, and held out the tray, “Breakfast?”

She took the tray from my hands and walked back into the room, leaving the door open. “Come on in.”

I stepped inside the room. It was really more like a small apartment. The room I was in was more of a small living room, with door at the back wall leading to her bedroom, and a bathroom attached to the bedroom. She wanted for nothing, as long as those wants did not include leaving the compound.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked her.

“My last ‘donation’ was three days ago, so I’m getting some strength back. Klaus hasn’t been around, so that’s a blessing.” She knew that Klaus, wherever he may be in the house, could likely hear her. She didn’t care. He obviously couldn’t kill her. In a way, she was the safest person who knew Klaus.

“Do you require anything?”

“Not unless you know a way around Klaus’s very specific compulsion.” She sighed. She bit into the French toast and gave me a thumbs up, “Delicious, as usual, Elijah. You could have been a chef in another life.”

“Oh, I was for a while. It was an entertaining experience.”

She smiled at that statement. She was, of course, an exact replica of Tatia and that smile never failed to stir up old feelings.

We talked for a while, mostly small talk about our lives and happier times. Elena talked about all the fun she used to have with Bonnie and Caroline and how inseparable they had always been. Without warning, she began to get teary-eyed while she spoke of them.

“I just want to know everyone’s okay.” She said sadly, “I want them to know I’m okay.”

A moment of pure stupidity came over me. I hated to see sadness on that face that still haunted my dreams. I dropped my voice to barely a whisper. “I could try and arrange a phone call, if you would like.”

Her face lit up at this suggestion. “That would be great, Elijah. Just a few minutes is all I want.”

I nodded. “I’ll get in contact with Caroline and Bonnie and see what time works best for them.”

She thanked me and I left the room. I immediately sent messages to her friends to see if they could be available soon to speak on the phone. I received a very prompt message from Caroline letting me know they would be ready that evening, after a school dance Caroline had thrown herself into planning would be over. I gave Elena the good news a couple of hours later while Klaus was out. She smiled genuinely and threw her arms around me. I fought to keep a level head while the doppelganger was so close.  _She is not Tatia._

_ November 5, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

It was the first really good night I’d had in a while. Everything was different now that I knew almost for certain that Elijah had done something to my memories. I had no idea what I would say when I saw him again. I just went on pretending everything was fine. When he called to assure me he would come back soon, I just smiled and replied that I looked forward to it. Even if some of the memories weren’t real, a lot of it was. I couldn’t reconcile that. I spent most of my time with Kol, and I had reason to believe he had no idea any of this was going on. I didn’t ask though, for fear he would report back to Klaus or Elijah that I was asking questions.

Mystic Falls was actually just peaceful and comfortable for once. More importantly, the dance was tonight. I’d opted for a flow-y dress and a fringed vest for the dance, to get into the 70s theme. I’d worn bell-bottoms in the actual 70s, and deeply regretted it so that was a no-go. Kol adamantly refused to dress up even when I offered—or threatened—to tie-dye everything in his closet.

I danced to every song, even when Kol mostly stood back and watched. I could tell he was amused though. He did his best to look bored with staying out of trouble and not feeding here at the dance, but he couldn’t help laughing at my incredibly bad dance moves. I finally took a break to get some punch that someone had already managed to spike. I offered a cup to Kol and he took the smallest possible sip.

“It’s not poison.” I laughed.

“It might as well be. This is hardly more than kool-aid.” He wrinkled his nose and handed the cup back to me.

“There’s vodka in it though.” I reminded him. I drank the rest of mine and then shrugged and drank his too.

“Listen, I don’t want to think about what passes for a “good” bottle of vodka with these people.”

The night began to come to a close, and the DJ played one last song, clearly meant for couples.

“I guess we should get home.” I told Kol, moving to grab my purse.

He stopped me though, and grabbed my hand. Kol led us out onto the dance floor.

“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, “You don’t have to-”

“Humor me.” He said, placing my hands on his shoulders and then putting his hands on my waist. I looked up at him and couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. I’d slow danced with boys in the past, but those occasions were few and far between. I quickly looked away, past his shoulder instead. It wasn’t that I had feelings for him…I just never expected to be in this particular situation with him.

He pulled me in a little closer and spoke quietly.

“You know, I was barely 15 when my mother turned us all into vampires. I was so angry. I’d lost my magic, and I thought I’d lost any hope of a future. I’ve spent every waking moment making them regret doing this to me.”

“I know, you’ve told me some of the things you’ve done.” I whispered back. Back when his primary objective was to terrify me, he loved nothing more than to recount some of the horrific crimes he’d committed just to make someone else feel his suffering.

“What’s kept you from doing the same?” he asked.

“I guess my life hasn’t been that bad.” I said honestly, “Other than Klaus being Klaus.”

“I hated you for that when we first met.” He said, “Still kinda do. They took you in and elevated you to their status, and left me desiccated in a coffin for decades. Even when I wasn’t in the box, I was still just their inconvenient little brother. Elijah complained about me killing people and turning people left and right but Klaus was hardly any better.”

I could tell his anger was rising, and I pulled him into a hug. It was not an entirely unselfish move. I didn’t want him to lose control here, at a school dance packed with vulnerable humans. He returned the hug, leaning his head against mine.

“In another life, maybe…” he whispered, but he didn’t complete the thought. I wondered what it was.

The song ended, and the DJ announced the end of the dance. Everyone slowly began to make their way out of the gym. I took Kol’s hand and led the way to get our stuff and leave the school. I realized I was still holding his hand even several feet from the school and I quickly released my grip.

_ November 5, 2010 _

_ Undisclosed Location _

_ Elijah _

It was difficult to find a part of the house not occupied by hybrids, but in the end I brought Elena into my quarters. I felt moderately awkward about it, but this was the one part of the house they avoided due to my very apparent distaste for them, and Nik typically avoided my part of the house. Probably for the same reason the hybrids did.

“Talk quietly.” I told her. As long as no one was focusing too greatly, she could probably speak without being noticed. I dialed Caroline’s number and handed her the phone. I walked to the other side of the room, but I could hear the muffled excitement in the girls’ voices fairly easily. I signaled to Elena to let them know to take it down a few notches. She quickly explained, and then continued to talk to them in a hushed voice about how everything was in Mystic Falls, how the dance went, what the Salvatores were doing, and any subject not directly related to her. I couldn’t help noticing she avoided questions about herself almost entirely.

Of course, we can never have nice things with Klaus around.

The door flew open and Elena and I both turned, startled. Klaus stood there, glaring menacingly at us both. “End the call.” He said to her. She immediately pushed the button and dropped the phone to the floor.

“I didn’t tell them anything. I didn’t talk about me at all.” She said quickly, backing away from him until her back hit the wall.

“They could still trace the location, even without magic.” He looked at me, “You traitorous fool.”

“She only wanted to check on her friends, Niklaus.”

“Elena, return to your quarters.” He compelled her, so she obeyed immediately. After she was gone, he appeared to try and compose himself.

“I meant no harm to your plans, brother.” I said carefully, “I’ve done everything you’ve asked.”

“Yes. You’ve been very helpful these past few weeks.” Klaus said finally, “Unfortunately we will need to move our location again. Can’t have the Mystic Falls gang finding us now.”

“Understandable.”

“I want you to leave though. Go back to Mystic Falls, reunite with the child. Your service is no longer needed.”

I felt a pang of guilt at the thought of leaving Elena here in this den of hybrids. But the last thing I wanted to do was push anymore buttons. And I did want to see Ellie again. Klaus pulled his phone from his pocket and casually tapped out a message on it before stashing it back in his pocket.

“Of course, I’ll leave first thing in the morning.” I told him.

He frowned. “No…I’m afraid you may be too late if you wait that long. See, I’ve just told Kol to kill her, and you know how unpredictable he is. He may not be able to restrain himself until morning. You’d better leave now.”

Horror and rage filled me, and a darkness I’d kept buried for quite some time began to take hold. I should have known he’d never let this act go unpunished. If she died, I’d kill every last one of his precious hybrids. I’d turn Elena if I had to, to end his doppelganger blood supply. If I couldn’t kill him, he’d surely suffer.

_ November 5, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

We walked back to the house at a relatively slow pace. I found myself not really wanting the evening to end. I liked when we could be like this. I was laughing as Kol went on and on about how offended he was by the 70s themed attire and he was almost glad to have missed it entirely.

“Completely garish and appalling. I’d have daggered myself if anyone tried to get me to wear any of that.”

“It was all the rage back then.” I insisted, “I bet you would have given in.”

He shook his head in disgust. “Dagger me and throw me to the bottom of the ocean before you try and get me into a pair of those pants.” He said, causing me to laugh more. We walked in silence for a little while longer, but then his phone sounded off, letting him know he’d received a text message. I continued walking, thinking nothing of it. He pulled his phone out and read the message.

Kol stopped abruptly. I spun around to see what was wrong, just in time to see his eyes darken as he looked up at me.

“Kol, what’s-”

“One hour.” He said with an edge to his voice, “You have one hour to get as far as you can before I look for you.”

 “What do you mean?” I already knew. I just needed to hear him say it.

He handed me the phone. Right there on the screen were the words “Kill her” sent from Klaus. I handed it back, and searched his face for any chance of hesitation. After everything, I still couldn’t believe he’d want to do this.

“You need to go, Eloise. The clock is ticking.” He said impatiently, “Or we can stand here arguing for the full hour.”

“Why not just do it now? Get it over with?” I challenged him, stepping forward.

“The chase is one of the best parts. You know that about me.” He looked away. He almost sounded ashamed.

“I thought we were friends.” I whispered hopefully. He didn’t meet my eyes.

“Go. Leave. We’ll have plenty of time to…talk…when I catch up to you.” He finally lifted his eyes and stared coldly at me, “Trust me, I will find you. I’ve done this countless times.”

I stumbled backwards, wishing he would suddenly change his mind. But he continued to watch me with that detached glare. The boy I’d danced with not even an hour ago was gone and the desire to kill had completely overtaken him. I turned and ran as fast as I could. I stopped at our house and changed, hoping he wouldn’t come there just yet. I grabbed a backpack and filled it with some extra clothes, my phone charger, and my wallet. I had no clue where to go, but I had to get out of Mystic Falls.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited to have finally gotten to this point, guys.
> 
> Revised 12/19/18

_ Mystic Falls _

_ November 5, 2010 _

_ Kol _

She was wasting time.

No one ever truly got a head start. I always followed. I just couldn’t help it. I liked seeing their strategy. I also liked to wait until they got to just the right level of comfort. Because they always eventually begin to relax, and let their guard down. They think there’s no way they’ll be found, and that’s my favorite time to strike. Ellie had stopped at the house first, and this was a careless mistake. She should have just taken off and gotten what she needed on the way. Since she’d stopped and packed a bag, if I’d come here later I’d know she definitely left town. And therefore, I wouldn’t have to turn Mystic Falls upside down first on my search.

I stayed hidden in the shadows across the street as I watched her exit the house again with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She paused for a moment, and then used vampire speed to start up the street. An average human would have thought she vanished, and most average vampires would have had trouble keeping track. I managed to follow her easily. She ran past two towns entirely and I felt she could have gone further but she stopped in a suburb. She walked until she found a house with lights on and knocked on the door. I watched her compel the human man who opened the door to let her in, and the door shut behind her.

It was not a very elaborate plan, but honestly it was better than others I’d seen. Some stayed in hotels, with no way to safe-guard against a vampire entering.

I went a few houses down and did the same thing she did. A very tired woman opened her door, ready to give me a piece of her mind before I compelled her to invite me in and be kind enough to provide me with a place to sleep. I then asked if she knew the family at the address Ellie was staying at. She nodded.

“Excellent. Get dressed, get in your car, and keep watch. Try not to park too close. Tell me if anyone who isn’t a member of that family leaves the house. I’ll program my number into your phone. Got that?”

“Yes, of course.” She said, freshly compelled. She did as instructed and I stretched and went to sleep on the couch. I’d check in when morning came.

_ November 6, 2010 _

_ Scottsville, Virginia _

_ Ellie _

“I’m  _not_ telling you where I am. I’m handling this on my own.” I told myself I just didn’t want anyone else involved in the mess I was currently in. But that wasn’t quite it. I still didn’t know how to talk to Elijah face-to-face, and I stupidly forgot the vervain I should be taking every day when I ran the previous night. Whatever was currently in my system would be out soon and I could be compelled to do, think, or forget whatever any Original wanted me to. I didn’t like the prospect of that.

“Ellie, I have the dagger. I just need to be able to get to him and I can neutralize him in a matter of seconds.” Elijah pleaded. My resolve wavered. He sounded so worried.  _He’s been lying to me_ , I reminded myself,  _let him worry._

“I know Kol. Let me handle him. I can try and talk him out of this.” This was complete crap. I had no idea how I would talk to Kol, if I even got the chance. Elijah started to speak again but I cut him off, “I don’t want to talk about this. I love you, Elijah. Please don’t worry.” I hung up the phone.

I’d compelled this family to believe I was a distant cousin who’d dropped in for a few days. I also compelled them to forget about me the moment they left the house, so I wouldn’t run the risk of one of them mentioning me to the wrong person.

They were actually a lovely little family, with two small elementary school aged boys. That morning, I’d actually made the kids breakfast and spent time talking to them before they went to the park with their mother. I stayed in the house though. I wasn’t sure when I would gather the courage to leave again. Kol could  be anywhere. At least this was a peaceful home, with a decent fold-out couch and a nice family. I almost felt like I was on vacation.

I stayed for three days, hiding and occasionally feeding from the adults. I knew this was a terrible strategy, but I stayed away from the windows and did not venture outside. Surely if Kol was close by, he would promptly make himself known. I hope that he’d assume I went farther, and would have moved far past this little town by now. That night I thanked my “cousins” for letting me stay in their home and compelled them to forget they’d ever seen me.

I stepped out into the darkness and looked warily up and down the street. I doubted Kol would be out in the open if he knew where I was, but I half expected him to appear in front of me. I started down the street at a normal pace, feeling like I was in the clear for just a moment.

After being cooped up for three days, I decided to head to a slight larger city. Richmond, Virginia was not too far from here and I could disappear a little easier amongst a larger population of people. Instead of travelling by foot and running the risk of being out in the open alone, I compelled someone to drive me there. But at least I gave them more than enough money to cover the gas, so I didn’t feel too bad.

“Forget you saw me. You just felt like taking a long drive today. Go home.” I told the man in the truck, and shut the door behind me. It was still night, but the sun would be up soon and I didn’t like being outside in broad daylight. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. I already had a growing number of missed calls and unread messages. Mostly from Elijah, but oddly enough I had quite a few from Damon Salvatore as well. I hadn’t read anything. This new message was from Kol:

**Word of advice, getting out of state might be a little more effective.**

My heart pounded in my chest and I quickly glanced around. Every shadow seemed suspicious suddenly. He knew I was still in Virginia? Did he know where? Was he here now? I backed up against the side of a building so at least no one could come up from behind. I decided to respond.

**If you know where I am, why not just make yourself known?**

I hit ‘send’ and didn’t wait around for the reply. I made a mad dash down the empty street in search of shelter for the night.

_ November 9, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Elijah _

I pounded on the door of the Salvatore Boarding House impatiently. As if it wasn’t enough that Kol was hunting down Ellie with the intent to kill her, something wasn’t quite right. She’d been avoiding me, and barely speaking other than occasionally checking in for a while now.

Stefan Salvatore opened the door.

“What could you possibly want now?”

“Where is your brother?” I demanded, moving past him into the house.

“I’m here. To what do we owe the pleasure, Elijah?” I heard Damon reply from somewhere in the house. In seconds, he was in front of me. I grabbed him by the throat.

“You’ve done something. I don’t know what, but you’ve done  _something._  She’s barely spoken to me in weeks, and now she won’t let me help her while Kol is trying to kill her.” I growled, and threw him to the ground. He hit the floor with a deafening thud.

Damon groaned in pain, struggling to stand back up. “I didn’t do anything. If anyone did, it was Klaus’s hybrid that bit her. Screwed with the compulsion somehow.”

“So you know what’s going on?”

“I only know that she’s been having dreams, where the memories keep changing. And…” he hesitated, and took a few steps away from me, “she found out her memories have been altered. Obviously by you. She doesn’t know how much, or when, or why.”

I ripped a wood post off of the stair rail and snapped it, brandishing the jagged end at him, “I swear, if you told her anything…”

“I didn’t say a damn thing.” Damon said angrily, “She figured it out on her own.”

He was telling the truth, I could tell. I was still no less angry. I snapped his neck, ignored Stefan’s enraged protesting, and left. I realized she probably had help from a witch. There was only one witch she knew in this town. It was time to pay Bonnie Bennett a visit.

I waited until after school and then followed her to her home. I even let her get inside first before I went to knock on the door. I wanted to show that I meant no harm.

She opened the door before I had the chance to knock. “I knew you were following me.” She said, “What do you want?”

“I’ve been informed of some…adverse effects werewolf venom had on Eloise. And her memory.”

“You mean it messed with the compulsion you did to her?” She folded her arms. She stood firmly planted just inside the doorframe.

“I did what I had to do. Now, I have no intention of harming you or your loved ones. I just need to know if you had a hand in this.”

She relaxed, a little, and began to speak, carefully choosing her words. “I don’t want any trouble. She just wanted me to help her figure out what was going on. I told her it looked like her memories had been edited, with the help of compulsion and magic. Elena had already filled me in on the full story. I didn’t tell her anything else. I didn’t even mention your name, Elijah.”

 I sighed. “Years ago I had a witch put a cloaking spell on her. It’s still in effect. I have no idea where she is. I assume she’s still alive, because Klaus would have already contacted me to inform me if she were dead.”

“You should have been busy protecting her from Klaus, instead.”

“I should have been.” I agreed, “I did everything I could think to do, even betraying her trust. All in the name of keeping her safe…and keeping her from leaving.” I laughed mirthlessly, “I try so hard not to be like Nik, but I’m a Mikaelson through and through. We really are very bad for the people we care about.”

“And now your brother Kol is going to murder her.” Bonnie said, rather coldly, “What a shame the only family she knows is going to be the end of her.”

“I’ve got the dagger. I’m going to make this right.” I told her. I let the hostility slide. Because honestly, I deserved it. “I’ll be in touch.”

Several seconds after I spoke, I was already a few streets away. I hadn’t spoken to Kol at all, and at this point I didn’t have much to lose. He waited until the fourth ring before he answered.

“Elijah!” the fake cheer in his voice made my blood boil already, “What a lovely surprise. Calling to check on your dear younger brother?”

“You don’t have to do this, Kol. Let’s talk.” I said, mustering every ounce of calm into my voice that I could manage. He laughed.

“I do, though.” I could practically hear the manic smile that was plastered on his face, “This isn’t just for Klaus. Fuck Klaus, honestly. I’ve been waiting for permission to do this for some time now, Elijah. She’s a lovely girl, really she is. But you left me in a fucking box for nearly a century and then took in some brat off the street and tried to go and make yourself a new family rather than standing up to our brother. Look where it’s got you.”

“You and those witches tried to make a weapon to kill him, Kol.”

“ _And you could have let me do it.”_ He hissed, the cheerful façade slipping for a moment, “We could have been rid of him for good.”

“He’s still family. We may have daggered you, but we’d never end you for good, brother.”

He laughed, gaining his composure once more, “Doesn’t matter anymore, because now she’s going to suffer, and I’ll be sure and recount every detail to you later. Like I said, it’s a bit unfortunate that it has to be that way, but I _am_ still pretty hurt by the way I’ve been treated. You should be thankful it’s me, and not one of Klaus’s hybrids. At least I like her enough not to draw it out too long. But if you must know, I’ve tracked her to Richmond. Think you can get here in time?”

The line went dead. I had no time to waste.

_ November 10, 2010 _

_ Richmond, Virginia _

_ Kol _

This was not a large city, but it was large enough that I wasn’t concerned Elijah would find me right away. Still, I shouldn’t have given him a location. Taunting him was just too entertaining. The vervain should be out of her system by now. I could compel her to come with me, and then I could kill her somewhere else. Yes, that would have to work for now.

I followed her to a Greyhound bus station, of all places. Maybe she thought I’d assume she’d be on foot. It wasn’t a terribly illogical move, but it made things much easier for me. Hiding amongst the humans, I watched as she checked the bus schedule and seemed to have decided on the bus leaving for Charlotte, NC. She was definitely in a hurry to get out of here. It was almost comically easy to wait for the bus to begin boarding and slip into line just a couple of people behind her.

I waited for her to take a seat by the window, and then she pulled out her phone to check a message, hardly noticing at all when I sat down next to her.

“This seat taken?” I asked, taking on an American accent.

“Oh, no, go ahea-” the words caught in her throat as she looked up to face me. Fear filled her eyes. I looked into her eyes, ready to compel her to stay seated, and refrain from screaming, but she held up her hands in surrender, “Don’t. I’ll cooperate. Just don’t compel me, please. I’m so tired of it.”

Amused, I raised an eyebrow, “I wasn’t aware it was a common occurrence.”

“Oh, they didn’t tell you?” she laughed bitterly, “It was commonplace right up until the past few years. Elijah even altered my memories. I don’t…I don’t know what’s real anymore. I don’t know anything besides what Elijah and Klaus have made me believe.” She didn’t seem to realize she’d started crying. 

So Elijah wasn’t the perfect one after all. He’d fabricated a whole life. But really, what else could I have expected? My siblings had no idea how to create real, meaningful relationships. Neither did I. If we wanted something, or someone, it was became ours. That's just how life had always been since we'd become vampires.

“Then you should be thanking me. I’m already getting my own revenge by killing you. Now you can get revenge by dying.” I’m not the best at comforting others. I wiped the tear from her cheek though.

“Klaus would be happy though.”

“Trust me when I say this: life gets a lot better when you just try to forget he exists.”

“How much life do I have left though?” she countered, “How much better can my life really get between now and when you decide to kill me?”

This is what I liked about her. She clearly didn’t want to die but she wasn’t crying and begging for her life either. That would have been irritating. She spoke to me like we were just having friendly banter.

“I haven’t decided when yet.” I shrugged, I looked around the bus in disgust, “Did you really have to pick this mode of transportation?” At least it wasn’t too crowded, and the humans were far enough away not to be a bother to us. But since being undaggered, I had a particular distaste for public transport.

“You once told me you don’t like to ‘mingle with the commoners’ too often. I figured you’d avoid a bus station.”

“Fair enough.”  I smiled, “You’re smarter than I thought. Anyway, we’re getting off at the next rest stop. I won’t compel you, if you don’t do anything stupid.”

Her phone began to ring and she picked it up. “It’s Elijah.” She said, eyeing me nervously.

“You can answer it. Don’t tell him where you are, or that you’re with me, or I’ll kill you right here on this bus. I’ll kill all these people too, I don’t care.” That would actually be fun.

Still, instead of killing her, it might actually be better revenge to undo some of the damage Elijah had done to her memories. Obviously there was something major that he didn’t want her to know. This was something to ponder, at least while I planned my course of action.

She nodded solemnly. I listened in as she answered the call.

“Hi Elijah.” She said warily.

_“Where are you? I’m serious, Ellie. I can help you.”_

I felt a twinge of sadness for her. She looked ready to cry. “You know I’m not going to tell you that.”

 _“I know you found out I changed your memories. Give me a chance to explain. To make things right. I can put your memories back to normal.”_ He pleaded. She looked conflicted, and I knew it was time to end the call. Obviously this was going to be difficult for her to handle on her own. I motioned for her to hang up.

“I have to go.” She whispered, barely audible, “Bye.”

She ended the call and I snatched the phone away from her, pocketing it for now. I didn't want to risk her sending Elijah any messages, and it had been stupid of me to forget about it up until now. She didn’t protest, but she still had that indecisive look in her eyes. I groaned dramatically. I didn’t need any setbacks.

“Will I need to compel you?” I asked.

“No.” she said definitively. “What would be the point of knowing at this point?”

“That’s the spirit.” I grinned. “That’s what I like about you, Eloise. You know when to be logical.”

A couple of hours later, the bus stopped so everyone could go to the bathroom and take a quick break. I quickly snatched up her hand in an iron grip and led us both off the bus. I was done with that nonsense.

_ November 10, 2010 _

_ North Carolina _

_ Ellie _

I wasn’t scared. Kol was not scary in the way that Klaus was. Kol was honest, and I knew pretty much what to expect with him. Klaus would twist the truth, and play mind games. He'd already proven he would lash out without warning.

He pulled me down the street of the small town we ended up in, and I wondered if he had a plan at all. I kind of wanted to just get it over with. He found an empty building with a “for lease” sign on it, but it looked as though it had been empty for quite some time. He easily forced the door open and wedged it shut behind us once we were inside.

“Let’s talk.” He said, “Have a seat.”

Perplexed, I sat down on the dusty floor and he sat down facing me.

“Kol, I don’t want to do this. Just end it.” I couldn’t let my guard down again. I couldn’t let myself believe we were really friends and that he could actually care about me.

He seemed to have read my mind. “Eloise, it’s true that I want Elijah to suffer for the way he treated me. And this is honestly the best way to go about that. But I…” he struggled for a moment, searching for words, “I would have liked for it to be different.”

“How could it have been different?” I asked.

“I had hoped Klaus would finally allow Elijah to leave and live his life in peace. And then I would just take you from him." He clearly noticed my startled expression and quickly added, "But you know, I can be very charming when I really want to be. No compulsion necessary.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself.” I said with a smirk before I could stop myself. I wanted to hate him.

He grinned again. “See?”

I only scowled at him in response, but he seemed unfazed. 

Kol stood up and walked across the room to a wooden table that had been left behind. He tore a leg off of it and broke it over his knee, creating a sharp weapon. I tensed as he came back to me.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’re not dying that easily.” He said, whipping out his phone again and pressing a few buttons. He pointed it to me and I realized he was recording video. Without warning, he shoved the table leg into my stomach and I cried out in pain. He pressed another couple of buttons and put the phone down. He pulled the table leg out of my stomach and I doubled over in pain. The wound was already healing, but the pain still radiated through me.

“Sorry, I’m sure that didn’t feel good. But I needed something to send to Elijah. He’s going to lose his mind when he sees that.” He knelt down beside me and put an arm around me, “Come on now, you’re fine. Do you have another shirt in your bag? That one’s got a bloody hole in it now…”

I lifted my head to glare spitefully at him but also I nodded at the backpack. He opened it and pulled out a fresh shirt and tossed it to me. “You change. I’ll turn around.”

He turned to face the wall and it occurred to me I could be out of here within seconds if I really wanted to. But what would I gain? I’d just be running again.

I quickly changed shirts, and stayed put. I cleared my throat to signal that Kol could safely turn around now.

“So tell me about this compulsion that Elijah did to you. As I understood it, he was daggered back in Mystic Falls briefly. That should have undone everything.” Kol sat back down across from me, as if he hadn’t just driven a table leg through my stomach.

“Bonnie told me it was reinforced with a spell.”

“Still, it probably weakened things. I’m willing to bet the witch who did it…didn’t do everything he was supposed to.” Kol said, “They’re tricky like that sometimes. That and the werewolf bite did a number on it, I imagine. The compulsion is already breaking down. It will break down completely if we can just…undo the spell.”

“I don’t want to know, okay? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Well, that’s a shame, because I do. I’ve got a witch contact in this town who owes me a favor.” He looked at my surprised expression and shrugged, “I don’t do anything randomly, Ellie.”

“Why do you care?”

“I like to meddle. I want Elijah’s actions corrected. And even if you say you don’t care, I think you deserve the truth before you die. I’m feeling generous.”

Kol’s phone began to ring. “It’s Elijah. Whatever could he want now? I’ll call him back. Let’s go find that witch.”

An hour later, we were outside of a little brick house on the edge of town. An elderly woman opened the door and looked at Kol warily, “I was just a child when I last saw you.”

“Yes, I believe it was me that saved your mother from that vampire back in the day. I know she’s sadly passed on since then, but I figure you’re an honorable woman who would be willing to return a favor. You’re looking lovely, Lola. Care to invite my friend and I in?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t invite vampires in.”

“Well, I need you to undo a simple spell for me. I don’t believe you’d want to do it right here on your front porch.”

She relented. “Come in. But know that I will kill her, and severely injure you if you try anything. I’m old, I’m not afraid of the wrath of the Mikaelson family anymore.”

“I intend to be a perfect gentleman.” He said politely, crossing over the threshold. I followed his lead. We sat down at her kitchen table and Kol explained everything we knew thus far about the spell that was used and the compulsion it was reinforcing. Lola nodded, already going through a grimoire and flipping back and forth between the pages as Kol spoke.

“So.” He said at last, “What can you do?”

“I think I can break it. I don’t believe the witch who did the spell made it as strong as he led Elijah to believe. Give me your arm, Kol.” She held up a bowl and a small knife.

“Absolutely not.” Kol backed away immediately.

Annoyance flashed in her eyes, “The witch used Elijah’s blood for the spell. We don’t have Elijah here. You will have to be a substitute. Do you want to help or not?”

He looked at me, and then sighed and held out his arm. “You see what I go through for you?” he said to me. She sliced into his wrist with the knife and let the blood pour into the bowl. Kol yanked his arm back, looking a little indignant. She took my hand and began to whisper words I couldn’t understand, all while waving her other hand over the bowl.

Something was happening. I started to feel my mind go fuzzy as the memories began to restructure themselves. A few minutes later, she was done and my head pounded. I couldn’t hear her or Kol trying to speak to me as the pain became unbearable for a moment and then…just stopped.

Damon. It had been Damon Salvatore for over thirty years. Elijah had threatened to  _kill me_  when we first met, just to make sure I came with him.

“I remember.” I whispered. Kol’s face came into focus. I hadn’t realized he’d had me by the shoulders, shaking me. All at once I wanted to go back to Mystic Falls. I had spent months around Damon and hadn’t even known. I had to talk to him.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely have a great time writing Kol, tbh.
> 
> Revised 12/20/19

_ November 10, 2010 _

_ Ellie _

_ North Carolina _

We were still standing in the witch’s small kitchen, where I was still sorting through memories and trying to process everything I’d just rediscovered. The absolutely sickening part was realizing Elijah hadn’t done all of this very long ago. He’d changed my memories as soon as we arrived in Mystic Falls. Presumably, as soon as he realized Damon was in town as well. What was I to make of that?

And Damon…he’d never said a word to me about it. What if he didn’t remember me at all? What if I wasn’t nearly as important to him as he had been to me? I needed to ask these questions in person.

But there was still the matter of Kol’s mission to kill me. He’d stepped into the living room for a moment to let me have some time alone. I found him and the witch in the next room, talking quietly. I hadn’t heard what they were saying, my head was still spinning, but the way they fell silent was a strong indicator that I was the subject of the conversation.

“How are you feeling?” Lola asked kindly. I managed a smile.

“I’m better.” I didn’t particularly feel much better.

“Lovely, we can go soon.”  Kol said, “Thank you for your assistance, Lola.”

“I want to go back to Mystic Falls.” I blurted out.

“Okay. Not happening. We should be going now.” Kol said. He moved past me to go to the kitchen, and picked up my backpack. I could try to fight him, possibly. Or I could just try and leave. I was closer to the door than he was. Without a second thought, I rushed to the door, ready to run full speed as far as possible, but I was knocked back by an invisible barrier.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, standing back up and staring at the open doorway.

“While you were still coming back to your senses, I had Lola set up a quick spell to keep you contained in the house. I expected you might have an…undesirable reaction to finding out the truth, whatever that may be.” His stare darkened, “Despite the fact that you gave me your word that you would comply if I didn’t compel you.”

“You’re literally planning to kill me soon and you’re angry with me for trying to run away?” I could almost laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“I’m angry that you want to run off to Mystic Falls without so much as an explanation. What did you remember, Ellie? What’s in Mystic Falls for you?” His voice sounded…hurt? Jealous? I didn’t understand. “I thought you were done with them, after what Elijah had done.”

“Damon Salvatore is the vampire turned me. He was the most important person in the world to me for 30 years…” I paused, trying to think of something to say that would convince him, and then made a decision, “He’s what Elijah made me forget. Let me see him one time, Kol. You go with me, but stay hidden, and I’ll tell everyone I managed to get away but that I have to keep running. And then I’ll go with you wherever you want to go and…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. The words wouldn’t come out.

“That’s a lot of trust to ask of someone after you just tried to make a run for it.”

“Please, Kol.” I pleaded, “What would it take?”

“Would someone care to explain to me what’s going on here?” Lola spoke up. Kol looked at her, suddenly realizing she was still in the room.

“Lola, is there anything you could do to make a vampire appear to be desiccated?” he asked her, much to my confusion. “And do you have any wooden stakes handy?”

An hour or so later, Lola had located a spell that would change my appearance to whatever we needed, including looking like a desiccated vampire corpse, and a wooden stake.

“You’re going to lie down right there on the floor. She’s going to alter your appearance, and I’m going to drive this stake into your chest,  _very close to_  your heart. So try to hold still.” Kol explained, twirling the stake in his hand while he spoke.

“Why though?”

“So I can send a picture of your dead body to Elijah and keep him off our backs if we’re really going to be stupid enough to go back to Mystic Falls.” Kol replied, “If I’m going to do this, I’m not going to have Klaus hunting me down.”

I didn’t want to do this to Elijah. But at the same time…we would only be speeding up the inevitable. At least if he thought I was dead, he could begin making peace with that. “Okay.”

I lay down on the floor, trying to look…dead. Meanwhile, Lola began muttering a spell over me and I felt my skin tingle as it changed. It wasn’t long before she seemed satisfied with the results. I decided I did not want to see myself with grey, cracked skin.

“Excellent.” Kol beamed, “Alright. Now Ellie, you just have to be still while I do this. I’m not going to hit your heart, trust me,  but I do have to get extremely close. Try not to breathe too much.”

He didn’t warn me first, which was possibly a good thing. He drove the stake right in and I held back a scream. I passed out from the burning pain.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but I woke up without a stake in my chest so that was progress.

“Elijah is…very upset with me. Can’t understand why. He knew this was a risk for months now. He had plenty of notice when Klaus gave me the order. There’s no need for the constant stream of threats.” I felt sick at the thought of Elijah believing I was dead. I had so many conflicting emotions right now. I was so angry with him for everything, but I didn't want to hurt him. He didn't deserve this.

Kol was sitting on the floor beside me, scrolling through some messages on his phone. I started to sit up and he slid a hand under my back and helped me up. I looked around, and noticed my phone was smashed to pieces on the floor. 

“You’re dead now, you don’t need it.” He explained when he saw the direction of my gaze, “We need to go. Lola would very much like her home to be vampire-free.”

We packed up our things and thanked Lola once again for letting us overstay our welcome. She told Kol to never darken her door again.

“You really do have a way with people.” I commented as we walked away from the house.

“That’s the Mikaelson reputation, love.”

_ November 10, 2010 _

_ Virginia _

_ Elijah _

I’d honestly thought I was making progress until I got the message. I stared down at the picture of her lifeless body and flew into a rage. When I came to my senses, everyone in the small coffee shop I’d been sitting in was dead. Kol would pay for this. But more importantly, Klaus would pay.

But I had to keep a level head for now, and stop ripping heads off of innocent strangers. I left the coffee shop full of fresh corpses and called Klaus.

“He did it, Nik. He killed her.” I said solemnly. There was silence on the other end for a moment.

“Yes, well, I hope this has been a helpful lesson for you, dear older brother. Did he send proof?” Of course that would be Klaus’s main concern.

“He sent a picture.”

“Forward it to me.” Klaus said, and then added, “So I assume this is goodbye?” He didn’t sound like he cared either way.

I very much wanted that to be the case. But no, that wouldn’t work for the plan already forming in my mind. “Actually…I’ve had some time to think, Niklaus. I would like to come back. I believe this family needs to try and work out its differences. I’ve learned my siblings may be the only constant in my life.” It sounded so sincere, so full of emotion. He would believe it.

He didn’t respond for a moment, and I fully expected him to say no. There was no reason he could trust me at this point, but I knew how much Klaus craved acceptance from the rest of us. He thrived on it. I could use that to my advantage now.

“I’ll consider it. Send me that picture.” He ended the call. I knew he would say yes now, if only to find out what my true motives were. But the plan was very simple. I would kill every last hybrid of his, and turn Elena Gilbert into a vampire. She would be incredibly upset with me, but she’d be alive and not a blood source for Klaus anymore. And Klaus would have his plans ruined.

I forced myself to look at the picture again, long enough to send it to Klaus. Something seemed off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was different. But I couldn’t bring myself to look at her lifeless face any longer than necessary.

_ November 11, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Ellie _

The next day, we were back in Mystic falls, and I felt more and more nervous. Kol had opted to wait just outside of town. Or maybe he was following me, I couldn’t be sure. I checked behind my back constantly but I never saw a trace of him. Of course, that was no indicator that he wasn’t on my trail. I walked up the steps to the Salvatore house, and tried to calm the emotional turmoil I was feeling. I wanted nothing more than to see Damon but I still felt betrayed. He’d disappeared, and I’d spent years wondering what happened. And then he’d been right here and never said a word to me. But maybe Elijah threatened him? That wouldn’t surprise me.

I knocked loudly on the door and tried to breathe deeply even though I felt there was a weight on my chest. Someone needed to answer before I lost my nerve.

Stefan was the one who answered the door, and he looked puzzled to see me. “I thought Kol was hunting you down. You shouldn’t come back here.” He said.

“I got away. I don’t have much time.” I told him my rehearsed lines, “Where is Damon?”

“Upstairs. I’ll get him.”

He flashed upstairs, leaving the door open behind him. I stepped inside and closed it, and waited awkwardly in the entryway. I still hadn’t practiced what I was going to say. Before I could really come up with anything, Damon appeared in front of me. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

At a loss for words, I started to cry, and collapsed against him. He was totally thrown off-guard by my outburst.

“Whoa. Hey. Ellie, what’s wrong?” he said, steadying me against his chest. I took a few deep breathes, but that wasn’t getting any easier. I had to say  _something_.

“Why didn’t you come back?” I finally managed to choke out.

“What do you mean?”

“1953.You said you’d come back. You promised.” I said between sobs.

Damon stilled, and pulled back from me, staring in shock. “You remember?”

I nodded. “Klaus said he’d run into you, just before I met him and Elijah. He said you and Stefan were doing just fine. ‘ _Living it up’_  were his words.” Remembering the way Klaus had comforted me after breaking the news send a small wave of grief through me. That Klaus seemed long gone.

“And you  _believed_  him?” I realized now how stupid it had been to think Klaus would ever be honest when he had something to gain from lying. Now even that memory of him was ruined.

I took a deep breath, “I don’t…I don’t know what to believe, Damon. Everyone’s been lying to me. I was here in Mystic Falls for  _months_  and you saw me all the time. I almost died here in this house, and you never told me.” I hadn’t meant to get angry, but it had all been building up for too long now.

“He threatened me and everyone here. I wanted to tell you, so many times. But I had no idea how. And I felt like, in some twisted way, this was my punishment. I should have been more careful when I went back to see my cousin. I got captured and experimented on for five years, Ellie. I turned my humanity off when I escaped.”

“I wasn’t even in the country by then.” Stupid. Of course he’d never be able to find me, even with his humanity still intact.

“How do you remember?” he asked. “Come on, let’s sit down.”

We went into the enormous living room and Damon and I took our seats on the couch, while Stefan sat in an armchair across from us.

“It was a witch Kol knew. He caught up to me and it was…a last request, of sorts. I managed to get away after the witch broke the compulsion.” I had to lie. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. For all I knew, Kol could be right outside the house.

“Does anyone know you’re here?” I shook my head.

“I’m going to be running again after this. I just…I had to come back. Kol will put it together though. He’ll know I came here. I can’t stay.”

“I wanted to tell you.” Damon said suddenly, “So many times. When you got bitten by the hybrid, I came so close to telling you but I was afraid you’d think I was lying. And then I’d have Elijah’s wrath to face. I told everyone to just keep it quiet.”

I furrowed my brow. “Everyone? Who knew?”

“Um…me, Stefan, Elena…and then Elena told Bonnie and Caroline. Bonnie may have told Elena’s brother Jeremy…” he trailed off, looking guilty.

“Damon uh…told us so that we would avoid kidnapping you and locking you in a cell in the basement again.” Stefan offered, “Which I am actually very sorry about.”

Literally everyone knew, except for me. For months they’d kept this from me.

“Bonnie knew everything before I even asked for her help.” I said quietly. Rage was beginning to take hold. I’d only learned from the best on how to properly express rage. I kicked the coffee table over, and everything that had been sitting on it went flying. The table splintered in half from the impact.

“It was an ugly coffee table.” Stefan said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Everyone kept this from me. Ever since we first came to this stupid town.” I said angrily.

“We just wanted to protect you. And I hate to admit it but…so did Elijah, in his own deeply unhealthy way.” Damon said. I reached out to hug him. I had to leave soon. I needed to leave on a positive note, despite the betrayal I was feeling towards everyone in Mystic Falls. Even towards Damon. He’d let everyone in on the secret but me.

“I have so much I want to say.” I whispered. “I have to leave though. Don’t look for me.”

I pulled away and disappeared as he opened his mouth to speak. I didn’t stop running until I was miles from the house, and I collapsed into tears on the ground. I felt Kol walk up beside me. Of course he’d stayed close. I was relieved I’d been cautious. At least no one would get hurt because of me.

“We can’t stay here, Ellie. Come on.” He said softly. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “I know you’re in the middle of emotional turmoil, so I’ll do my best to respect that for the time being. Are we going to have trouble from them?” I shook my head, numbly. He smile, clearly pleased with himself, and we walked off in silence.

_ November 11, 2010 _

_ Mystic Falls _

_ Damon _

That had not been the reunion I’d envisioned. At least, I certainly hadn’t imagined she’d be running from the psychopath known as Kol Mikaelson.

“I’ve got to do something.” I said to Stefan. He was busy picking up what was left of the coffee table.

“We need to call Elijah and let him know she was here. He’s still looking for Kol, and he has the dagger.” Stefan said. He was right. As much as I hated it, Elijah was more capable of taking down Kol than any of us.

As if on cue, my phone rang, and I saw that it was Elijah calling.

“Elijah.” I answered, “Creepy timing. What’s up?”

“I’ve failed, Damon. I’m sorry.” There was an overwhelming sound of despair in his voice. My heart stopped in my chest. She’d only left a few minutes ago. Had Kol caught up to her that fast?

“What are you talking about?”

“Kol killed her yesterday. He sent me proof. I’m going to get my revenge on Klaus, you mark my word-”

Stefan had heard his words too and looked up, confused. I cut Elijah off.

“Yesterday? Elijah, she was literally just here. She was at the house.” I realized we never should have let her leave. It didn’t occur to me that we could face Elijah’s wrath if something happened now.

“Why in the hell would she come there?” he snapped.

“She uh…she broke the compulsion. She came here to tell me that she knows. Kol helped her do it, and planned to kill her after, but she got away. She’s still running from him.”

I waited for the news to sink in, and for the stream of threats on my life I’d been expecting. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem too worried about that.

“But he sent me a photo…she was desiccated, with a stake through her.”

“Listen, I don’t have time to do a psych analysis on your little brother. He fabricated the photo. Who knows why? She’s still alive and she was just here in Mystic Falls. I’m sure Kol won’t be far behind if he knows what she remembered when she got her memories back.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” He said. “Keep a sharp eye out for Kol. By the way...Klaus believes her to be dead already. Let’s keep it that way.” I had no problem with that.

_ November 11, 2010 _

_ Outside of Mystic Falls _

_ Kol _

It was some consolation that Elijah believed she was dead, for now.  That would change soon, as I was sure the Salvatores would not be able to keep anything to themselves. It also helped that we had gotten her memories back and she would probably never trust him again, if I let her live. Maybe I would. But for the time being, we could get as far as possible and then I’d decide what to do next. I was actually just a little annoyed by how cooperative she’d been. I’d expected, and hoped for, a little more fight.

It’s not that I didn’t want to kill her, I still kind of did, but it wasn’t really due to anything she had personally done. A bigger part of me did not want to kill the girl. I liked the company. Even though she was currently not great company due to the trauma of finding out everyone in her life had been lying to her.

 _Nearly_ everyone. I sure as hell wasn’t in on the secret. I think maybe that’s the only reason she seemed to trust me, despite me being very open about wanting her dead.

“So where are we going?” She asked me, breaking our silence. I’d gotten us pretty far away from Mystic Falls, so we were walking at a human pace now.

“Not sure yet. Any suggestions?”

“Are you asking me where I want to die?” she sounded annoyed.

“Well, I don’t  _have_ to give you the option.” I snapped back at her. No, no, I can’t get mad at someone for stating the facts. Most people are more emotional that I am and I can’t hold that against her. “But yes, that is what I’m asking you.”

She stopped and stood in front of me. “Right here is fine. Honestly. You keep dragging this out, and it’s stressful. Just do it and get it over with, Kol.”

“No, you’re taking the fun out of it.” I pouted, and pushed passed her, continuing down the road. I think we’d crossed into Maryland at this point. Apparently, this was an unacceptable answer.

“The  _fun?_   Do you hear yourself sometimes? This isn’t a game for me, like it is for you, Kol. You get that right? I’m in no hurry to die but if it’s inevitable I’d rather get it over with instead of constantly being on edge around my  _best friend_  while I wait for him to kill me.”

“I’m your best friend?” I asked, incredulous. No one had called me that before.

“Yeah. I guess. How twisted is that? I have one real friend and it happens to be the boy who wants to kill me.”

I was mildly hurt by that statement. “I wasn’t just hanging around because of that, you know. Believe it or not, I do enjoy your company.”

“Then why do you even want to kill me at all?” she asked, “I mean, I know Klaus told you to. But he probably believes I’m dead now, if Elijah believes I am. Why do you have to do this?”

We’d stopped again, and I avoided her gaze, staring out towards the sun, which was beginning to disappear beneath the horizon. This was a difficult question to provide an honest answer to.

“You would have to understand how my mind works.” I said quietly. I wasn’t sure I should really be opening up to her, but she’d called me her best friend and to be honest, I was beginning to think maybe she was mine as well, “I’ve never mattered that much to my siblings. Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah…well, _“always and forever”_ was their thing. Not mine. They made that clear. For years I resented them and hated my life. I spent all of my time with witches, trying to find a way to get my power back and get my revenge.  But over time, I realized how much I can matter to someone when I literally hold their life in my hands. The rush I get from the way someone looks at me when I’m about to take their life is all I crave sometimes. I no longer need my siblings’ approval.”

“It doesn’t last though.” She was correct.

“It doesn’t, but it lasts long enough. Then I just do it again.”

“So when will you need to again?”

 I was guessing it would be quite soon. Hunting her down and routinely scaring the hell out of her had been a temporary relief from the desire to make someone suffer. But that was beginning to not be enough. That game had lost its appeal.

She wasn’t as scared anymore. That’s probably what the problem was. I didn’t quite want her to die yet though. Or…ever. Ugh.

“Tonight. You’re going to help me.” I caught her eye and realized she’d misunderstood. “Oh no, I’m not killing you yet. I just want you to…understand.” I gave her a reassuring smile but obviously she didn’t have the good sense to be grateful for this. I had never let anyone into my life to this extent before. Did she not understand that?

“I don’t think I can…do that. I can’t watch you torture and kill someone, Kol.” She said nervously. Her uneasiness sparked new interest. Now I definitely had to show her.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end folks! I struggled with this for a while. Sorry! But I felt like this would be a decent stopping point.
> 
> revised 12/20/19

_ November 11, 2010 _

_ Undisclosed Location _

_ Klaus _

I waited patiently for the four hybrids I’d just created to wake up and finish the transition. I’d gotten…rather carried away the past couple of days, and I now had a total of 14 new hybrids. Thanks to the beauty of the sire bond, this was a family that could never betray me. I didn’t need Elijah, or Kol, or even Finn and Rebekah. Those two could stay daggered as far as I was concerned. I didn’t need that stupid  _child_ either. If it weren’t for Elijah and me, she would have gotten herself killed a long time ago.  

I ignored the pang in my chest at the thought. I’d already looked at the image of her lifeless face. It was etched into my memory now, unfortunately. Sacrifices had to be made. I hadn’t actually anticipated Kol succeeding so quickly. I had actually expected her to…reach out to me? Ask for help? I might have helped.

But why would she do that? She had no reason to think I was someone to trust. Not anymore.

I had my hybrids to focus on. I had Elena, the constant blood supply, and Elijah seemed to already be caving under the isolation from his family. Maybe I would take him up on his offer to return. Or maybe I’d stick a dagger in him and let him take a couple of centuries to think about his transgressions. That seemed fair.

The first hybrid began to show signs of life and I rushed over, forcing him to drink the doppelganger blood to complete the transition. This is what mattered right now; creating my loyal followers who would be at my beck and call. I forced my mind to focus on the situation at hand, and not the regret that was dangerously close to the surface.

_ November 12, 2010 _

_ Somewhere in Indiana _

_ Ellie _

We covered a lot of ground in the past day or so, and I wasn’t sure what Kol’s plan was. I was kind of past the point of caring. Much to his dismay, I wasn’t very worried about dying. It seemed better than dealing with my life. A part of me longed to see Elijah again and get his side of the story, and I wanted to be able to forgive him. A part of me never wanted to see him again. Damon hadn’t directly lied to me but he’d kept the truth from me when he knew all along. Everyone had.

Kol hadn’t even known. Kol was the only person who got a pass right now, which was morbidly hilarious since he was the last person I should trust.

Speaking of morbid, he still insisted on showing me exactly what he was capable of. Kol collected a couple of human women later that night and brought them to an isolated field far off from the road. My stomach turned at their blank expressions, compelled to be quiet and calm. Somewhere, deep down, they might actually be panicking.

“You.” Kol pointed to the brunette woman, “What’s your name?”

“Lily.” She answered. He asked the same of the red-haired woman, who said her name was Beth. Apparently they were friends, roommates in college.

“Oh, that’s nice. Lily, Beth slept with your boyfriend. Beat her senseless for it while I talk to my friend here.”

Instantly, Lily flew at Beth screaming and tackled her. Beth tried in vain to defend herself against the assault. I turned away from them. 

“This is sick, Kol. Just kill them. Why do all this?”

He looked at me, genuinely confused. “What? You don’t find it entertaining?  They’re just humans, Ellie. They aren’t important.”

I remembered Klaus telling me something very similar, and I felt sick to my stomach again. I don’t know why it was so disappointing to know how sadistic Kol could be. I should have expected as much. I just assumed he killed more than necessary, and I could have lived with that.

He reached into a duffel bag and produced a baseball bat and a crowbar. “Ellie, choose who gets which weapon.”

“No.” I said firmly. I refused to take part in whatever this was.

“Oh come on, darling, you’re being a killjoy.”

“Unless you plan on compelling me, I’m not getting involved in this.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, I did promise I wouldn’t compel you.” The bright gleam in his eyes made me uneasy though. And then my suspicion was confirmed. “Beth. Lily. That’s enough for now. Grab a weapon and attack the girl.” He pointed at me.

 _“Kol!”_ I snapped at him. He shrugged. Both girls, now covered in dirt and blood, automatically picked up the weapons he’d laid on the ground and started for me. It would be useless to try and avoid killing them. Beth came at me with the crowbar and I ripped it from her hands and snapped her neck easily. Lily swung at me with the bat but I ducked and swung the crowbar, making sickening contact with her skull.

“See? Just humans. Easily disposable.” He seemed to ponder something for a moment, “Well that was not quite what I was planning but it did the trick, all the same.”

I turned away from him, not wanting him to have the satisfaction of seeing that he was bothering me. He was only keeping me alive to torment me, and I was sick of it.

__

_ Kol _

_ Same time and Place _

For some reason, it hadn’t been as satisfying as I’d hoped. It was still rewarding, but mostly because I enjoyed watching her effortlessly and methodically kill the humans without a thought. If she could let go of the guilt and all that damn moral superiority, we could have some real fun together. I felt just a bit bad about putting her through that though, which was…unexpected.

I didn’t want to kill her anymore. I kept telling myself I enjoyed pushing her buttons but there was more to it than that. I liked having her around.

I didn’t like that I had upset her though, even if I wasn’t really sure why. That was a new feeling, because normally I wouldn’t care.

“I’ll try and keep my recreational activities away from you in the future, if that makes you feel better.” I said, rather awkwardly.  “It’s a shame though. We’d make a good team.”

“In the future?” she repeated. “Kol, I don’t-”

I knew where this was going and I cut her off right away, “We’re not going to discuss it. I enjoy your company. You said yourself we’re friends.”

“Okay…so let me have your phone so I can call Elijah.”

I scoffed, “Why would you want to? He’s a liar. My whole family is just a bunch of manipulative liars who can’t handle not getting their way. Elijah is no exception.” I’d hoped she’d want nothing more to do with him. That would be justice enough.

“And you think you’re any better? If we’re friends, like really friends, you can’t just keep me cut off from everyone I care about. You’re all so…you’re all so afraid of people leaving. You’re so afraid of your own family abandoning you. You can’t live like that, Kol. Look what it does. Look what Klaus and Elijah have done in this insane effort to get their way.”

“Elijah will probably try to repair the  _damage_  done when you broke the compulsion.”  I said through gritted teeth. Just once, I wanted to have some form of happiness my siblings couldn’t rip away. It was just an added bonus that it could be something I was taking from them.

“I don’t believe he’d be stupid enough to risk that again. Even so, he won’t be able to. You’re going to be there to prevent anything from happening.”

I took a moment to process what she’d said. She wanted me there?

“He’ll dagger me the moment he sees me.”

“I won’t let him. We’re going to talk, I’m going to let him say what he needs to say, and then…” she took a breath, “I think I need to part ways with him, with everyone, for a while. I’m no one’s responsibility. But you’re welcome to tag along if you want. If you promise not to kill me in my sleep and keep your weird serial killer hobbies to a minimum.”

I was entirely uncomfortable with the way my heart leapt at her words. Still, I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Tag along? So you’ve decided you’re in charge now?”

“If you were gonna kill me you’d have already done it. Klaus more than likely believes me to be dead, and I can’t imagine Elijah telling him the truth. Can’t imagine you going within 1000 miles of Klaus.” She said confidently.

She was right, on all accounts. I think we’d had that understanding for a while now, but it was strange to hear her say it out loud. “Fair enough.”

“So do we have an agreement? You call Elijah here and act as my back-up and I make sure he doesn’t dagger you on sight?”

“Very well.” I replied, already searching for his name in my phone. It barely rang once before he answered. Before I could get an ear-full of threats I began speaking, “I’m going to text you an address. You’ll need to be there this time tomorrow, which I’m more than sure you can manage. Ellie requests an audience with you.”

He launched into the usual spiel about what he’d do to me if I harmed a hair on her head and I cut him off again. “Yes, sounds exciting but rest assured she’s unharmed. See you tomorrow.”

_ November 13, 2010 _

_ Somewhere in Indiana _

_ Ellie _

“You didn’t give him a lot of time. What if he doesn’t show? Because you gave him literally 24 hours.” I folded my arms and leaned against the porch railing of the abandoned house we were waiting at. Kol and I had happened upon it on our way into town the previous day. I guess he’d made note of it just in case.

“You deeply underestimate that man’s irritating dedication to you. He’s probably already been here and left a few times this morning just in case. God forbid anyone come to  _my_  rescue.”

I couldn’t help but think Kol would be a much happier person if he let go of all of that resentment. I could hardly be the one to tell him that though. Seeing as most of the resentment was related to me. An alarm sounded off on Kol’s phone, signaling the time Elijah was to make his appearance. I held my breath, scanning my surroundings. I thought I saw an outline of a person on the horizon. I blinked and squinted to get a better look but it was gone. Seconds after I looked away from the spot, I felt the all-too-familiar gust of wind that signified we were no longer alone. I looked around and saw Elijah there on the steps of the porch. All the pent-up anger and resentment melted away for the moment and I rushed to him, wrapping my arms around him.

This would be harder than I thought. I found a part of myself wishing to go back to the lie he’d fabricated for me. It almost seemed easier that way, to know I had someone I could trust completely. But that was just part of the lie.

I broke the embrace first, and took a couple of steps back, avoiding looking him in the eye. I was no longer on vervain and I had to remember he’d abused my trust before.

“It was a mistake. I never should have done it.” He said softly. He reached out for me but I took a step back.

“Would you have ever undone it if I hadn’t figured it out?” I asked, cutting right to the chase. His silence gave me my answer. He glared past me at Kol and I stopped that entire thought process in its tracks. “This isn’t his fault. He just helped me get the answers I needed.”

“See, Elijah? You always paint me to be some sort of monster. I can be very generous when I want to be.” Kol said and I shot him a warning glance. This wasn’t the time for stirring the pot.

Elijah reached into his coat pocket and revealed a dagger that was tucked away. I figured as much.

“I won’t let you do it.” I told him, putting myself directly between him and Kol. I’d meant to meet his eyes to show I meant what I said, but that was my mistake. Elijah wasted no time.

“You will stand by if I do decide to dagger Kol.” He compelled me, “He will not be using you as a shield.” I glared at him.

“Seriously? This whole mess started because of you compelling me.”

“Kol can fight his own battles.”

“Fair enough, it was all her idea anyway.” Kol said with a shrug. “So was that the plan all along? Eliminate me, and then whisk her away, with some stronger compulsion, and continue life as if none of this ever happened? You try to pretend you’re so much more morally superior to Nik but are you really? Nik’s got that sire bond to create his replacement family, and you just use compulsion. Not too much of a difference.”

“Nik is building an army of slaves.” Elijah spat in disgust. “I was only trying to protect-”

“Protect what you felt entitled to?” Kol finished for him.

“Kol, stay out of it. Let me talk.” I said to him. I was becoming increasingly nervous that things might play out exactly as Kol described…especially if Kol kept pushing buttons. I didn’t need him fighting my battles anyway.

“Fine. Have it your way. I’m staying here though.”

I was beginning to think this entire thing was a mistake. What was I possibly hoping to get out of this meeting? Everything had changed permanently now. We couldn’t go back to being the happy, makeshift family we’d once been.

I took a deep breath, feeling a little more sure of myself all of a sudden. I knew the right words now. “I don’t hate you, and I’m not mad anymore. I know you had your reasons, and in your own weird way you were trying to keep me safe while Klaus was only keeping me in check. But I don’t need to be protected anymore. I’m not that scared, lost girl you met all those years ago, Elijah. I want to figure out who I am without someone constantly looking after me.”

I knew this hurt him, but as I’d suspected, it seemed he’d expected me to say something far worse. His expression softened and I felt a little more at ease that things would not go wrong. He smiled, a little bit sadly.

“As it happens, I’m in the planning stages of ruining everything Niklaus has built up for himself these past few weeks. I still want revenge for the grief he’s caused me. If he believes you to be dead, I certainly can’t bring you along. I just want your word that you’ll check in from time to time. And that you’ll be careful.”

“Of course.” I said immediately, “Well, as soon as I get another phone. Kol smashed mine…”

“I feel like that was an unnecessary piece of information to provide, Ellie.” Kol muttered from behind me.

“Kol will buy me a new phone.” I said with a grin, glancing back at him. “Right?” He rolled his eyes but nodded.

He stayed for a bit, and we caught up on everything that had happened since then. He asked if I planned to talk to Damon again, and I told him I would in time. I was determined, this time around, to be my own person…whatever that meant. I had the feeling Kol would stick around either way.

“Try and keep a low profile for a while, anyway. At least until I figure out where Klaus is and I can properly keep you updated.” He said. The goodbye was coming, but I felt good about it. This wasn’t a permanent goodbye, after all.

“What is your plan for Klaus?”

I didn't particularly like the idea of him going after Klaus. At all. It seemed like a stupidly unnecessary risk. Mikaelsons were nothing if not determined though. 

“Pretty simple. I’m going to destroy each and every hybrid he’s created, and turn the doppelganger. No more blood, no more hybrids.”

“He’ll never stop trying to retaliate.” Kol warned, “Count me out of that battle.”

Elijah laughed humorlessly, “Well, that’ll be my burden to bear. No one else’s.”

“Be careful. Don’t get yourself daggered. I’ll have to come looking for you.” I said, attempting to make light of the whole situation.

Elijah did not see the humor. At all.

“Don’t you dare. If I disappear, assume I’ve failed and move on. Don’t put yourself at risk over me.”

I ignored the statement. I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t try to help if something happened to him. He had to know that.

“I guess this is goodbye. For now, anyway.” I said finally.

“Yes…I believe it is.” Elijah hugged me, and looked over my shoulder at Kol, “I’m trusting you.”

“Well that’s a first.” Kol replied.

We said one last goodbye and I watched as he walked to the edge of the property, and disappeared.

“So are you like…okay?” Kol asked me. “Please don’t ask me to comfort you.”

“I’m fine.” I laughed, “Honestly, best I’ve been in a while.”

He looked positively relieved to hear that, and I laughed. Our friendship could not have had a worse start, but it came so naturally now.

“So what now? Where do you plan on going?” Kol asked me. “Don’t pick anywhere boring, or I’ll have to seriously rethink this whole decision.”

I could go anywhere. Do anything. My path in life was no longer dependent on the whims of someone else. I shrugged and grinned at him. “Not sure yet. Guess you’ll just have to come along and find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot with figuring out a way to end this! But I felt like it was about time.
> 
> update 12/20: I am currently working on a sequel to this!


	19. update!

Hey guys!

I recently uploaded the first chapter of the sequel to this if you wanna check it out!

Also, I went back and revised all the chapters to this one. No major plot changes though. I just hated some of my writing.

And lastly I've kind of ended up with a headcannon of what Ellie looks like, so I thought it would be entertaining (for me, mostly) to go back and add a gif of that actress that "goes with" what's going on. Just one per chapter, I didn't wanna overdo it. I'll eventually do the same with the sequel when I have time. 

 


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